Look, Don't Touch
by Luxio Nyx
Summary: September, 1918: Bella Swan loses the love of her life, Edward Mason, to an illness. Days later, she is turned into a vampire. September, 2010: Bella, a Volturi fugitive, moves to Forks for an escape. What she doesn't expect is to see Edward.
1. Chapter 1

BPOV

Chapter 1: September, 1918:

I smiled brightly at the starry night sky that was so rarely visible in the large city of Chicago. The night was warm for the season, although perhaps that wasn't quite so unusual for big cities. Orion and the Big Dipper smiled down at me as I walked slowly down the busy streets, my shawl worn loosely around my shoulders as I reveled in the warmth. It was a marvelous night, although my pleasure was mostly due to the man who walked beside me, his arm firmly linked through mine.

Edward Mason grinned down at me, his green eyes glittering with delight as he shared in my delight. His bronze hair was covered slightly by the hat that was perched stylishly on his head, which irritated me slightly. I preferred his tousled hair uncovered. His grip tightened on my upper arm as I tripped over the brown fabric of my dress. I blushed for a moment before joining in his laughter, my breath a little short due to the corset that was tightened around my waist. My brown eyes slid briefly to the thin figure of Michael, our chaperone, as he trailed behind us on the crowded streets, his expression sullen. I tried to ignore the stab of empathy that went through me at the sight of his expression; although to be fair, it wasn't my fault that he was so upset nowadays. I had told him several times that I could never reciprocate his feelings; he was the one who insisted on entertaining an attachment to me.

Edward chuckled when he saw who I was looking at, although I caught the brief flash of jealousy in his eyes.

"Poor Mr. Newton," he murmured. "He's still so entranced by your siren call, Miss Swan."

I blushed again, my skin nearly matching the tomatoes that lined the crates in the windows of a shop that we were passing.

"You have been reading far too much mythology, Mr. Mason," I reprimanded him gently. "Next you will confuse me a nymph."

"You are wrong, Miss Swan," he whispered with amusement. "Next I shall call you a goddess."

My blush deepened at that and I hoped that the light was too dim for him to see how pleased I was by his attentions, even if they were a bit flawed. There was no possible way that I could be a goddess in any form, and it was beyond me how a man as gorgeous as Edward could see me as such.

I sighed with disappointment when we reached the door to my home. I bit my lip as I debated whether or not to keep walking. Would Charlie notice?

Edward chuckled, seeing the expression on my face.

"Now, Miss Swan," he chastised lightly. "Don't tell me you are planning on running off without me."

I smiled and shook my head.

"Not without you," I whispered, almost too low for him to hear.

He did, though, and his smile widened.

"Miss Swan-," he began, only to stop abruptly as a dark shadow passed beside us, his head bent to avoid the gaze of bystanders. The shadow paused beside me, his nostrils flared as he looked up. I shrank back into Edward's arms at the sight of the man. His eyes were a deep, inhuman red.

Edward glared menacingly at the man, his frown echoed by Michael as he caught up to us. The shadow shrugged past us, his face lowering again as he walked away.

"Get Miss Swan inside," Edward ordered Michael quietly. "She should no be on the street with people like that about."

Michael nodded and hustled me through the door into my home. I turned and watched with undue concern as Edward waited for the door to close before quickly hailing a coach to take him to his own home across town. I watched the coach that carried him until it was out of sight, unable to shake off the feeling that I would not see him again for a long time.

My foot tapped the floor of the coach impatiently as we drew closer to the Mason household. Across from me, Michael eyed me with a resigned look, his blue eyes still sullen. It wasn't like me to be impatient; I was usually in a very good mood when I went to see Edward. However, in the fortnight since we had last seen each other, I had been unable to shake the disconcerting feeling that I would not be able to see him for a long time. The feeling scared me, and I wanted it to be disproved.

Finally, the coach screeched to a halt out side of the cream and chocolate exterior of the Mason home. I jumped hastily out of the coach, tripping once again on my skirt as I stepped down. Michael caught me reflexively, the sullen expression in his eyes lifting slightly as he helped me to regain my poor balance. For some odd reason, steadying me when I was a klutz was a pleasurable experience for him. I never understood what was so enjoyable about, although then again I never understood why Edward insisted on comparing me to figures in Greek mythology either. Perhaps it was a male thing…

As we drew closer to the Mason house, I could immediately sense that something was wrong.

The brown shutters had been drawn across the large windows that faced the cheerful square in front of the house, and there was a small group of black-clad people huddled around the front door of the house. I broke away from Michael's restraining arm and pulled aside a man who stood at the edge of the group. In my distraction, I barely noticed that he looked almost exactly like the man with the red eyes, although his eyes were black. The man looked at me expectantly, his eyes suddenly bright with some unknown emotion.

"Excuse me, sir," I said hastily, foregoing politeness for once. "Why are there so many people around the Mason home? Where are the Masons?"

The man's gaze softened with unmistakable pity at my words. His eyes slid past me to lock on Michael as he approached us, his expression wary. Michael stopped abruptly at the man's gaze, his face almost scared.

"Miss," the man said gently. "It may pain you to learn this, but the Masons are all dead. They were killed by the influenza a few days ago."

My face paled and I felt my knees start to buckle. Edward was dead? I had heard of the influenza of course, everyone had, but I hadn't thought that Edward would suffer from it…

Perhaps seeing the pain that the news had created, Michael murmured something unintelligible and moved past me into the crowd of people by the Mason home. Or, I suppose it was just a home now; the Mason's were no longer going to inhabit it.

The man's cold hand fastened itself around my wrist suddenly, his other hand going to my mouth. My eyes widened suddenly and I had a sudden urge to scream before I quickly smothered it. What did it matter if something happened to me? Edward was dead. Besides, I had the feeling that the man wouldn't be stopped by something as menial as attention. The man chuckled.

"Good girl," he murmured quietly, his words too low for any one else to hear. "Walk with me, now. We are going to take a small trip."

I hoped that I didn't trip; it would only anger him. The man half dragged me away from the crowd in front of the house, pulling me into a darkened alleyway. I looked up desperately at the grey sky, my fear returning full force. Edward… was he watching me from wherever he was?

The man picked me up easily once we were hidden in the alley, his arms supporting me as easily as if I weighed no more than a small bag. My eyes widened as he took off running, our surroundings blurring to a grey fog as he took me away from my home.

I fell onto the soft ground with a cry as the impact sent shockwaves up my arms. The man looked down at me coolly, his expression calculating.

"Are you scared, child?" he asked curiously, sounding almost surprised by the fear that was no doubt painted on my face.

I nodded mutely, too stunned to say a word. Who- no, what was this man?

"How strange," the man murmured. "You should be relieved. I am about to stop your suffering. Don't you want to be with the man you love now that he is gone?"

A part of me cried yes to his words, although I tried to ignore that part. No matter how upset I was by Edward's death, I didn't think that the answer was to get killed by a stranger.

"Trust me," the man pleaded his eyes hardening. "I am doing you a favor." Then he leaned down over me and bit my neck.

I screamed as fire filtered through my veins from his bite, tears seeping from underneath my suddenly closed lids. The man's hands curved around my neck, bringing me closer as he drank my blood.

I screamed again, feeling a dim flash of panic as my voice became weaker. Black smoke appeared in front of my eyes when I opened them, threatening to drag me into the black oblivion.

The man looked up suddenly, his eyes narrowing as he looked towards something that was too subtle for my senses. In a blurring flash, he threw my limp body away, sending it crashing into the trees that surrounded us. I barely felt the pain as my bones broke from the impact; I could only feel the burning as the fire went through me. I held back my screams as the man turned away, hoping against hope that he would forget about me and leave me here to die.

The man waited for only a moment before another man flashed to a stop beside him. Sunlight rebounded off of his skin in blinding lights, making me unable to see what he looked like. My kidnapper snarled and lowered himself into a crouch.

"Get away from here," he hissed. I shivered, barely holding back another scream as the pain throbbed.

"Where is she?" a voice like an angel growled in response. I felt myself instinctively relax at his voice. Why was it so familiar?

"Who?" my kidnapper asked silkily.

The other man snarled and threw my kidnapper against a tree at the other side of the clearing, his hand closing around the man's throat.

"Where is she?" he demanded. "What have you done with her?"

My kidnapper's eyes narrowed, his features blurring as the sun's rays glittered on his skin. His eyes flashed quickly to where I was lying, too fast for the other man to see.

"I killed her," he said mockingly. "I drank her blood and destroyed the body. There's nothing left."

The other man stayed absolutely still for a moment, his shoulders shaking slightly as a strong emotion washed over him. His hands dropped from my kidnapper, letting him fall onto the ground. Then, quick as a whip, the hands were back on my kidnapper's throat, their grip tightening.

The other man gave a roar of pure agony and disappeared into the trees, taking my kidnapper with him. I watched the place where they had been for a long moment, my mind showing me the single glimpse that I had gotten of the other man's features before he had left. He had had bronze hair.

I choked back another scream and stared up at the trees above me, waiting for death to take me.


	2. Chapter 2

BPOV

Chapter 2: September, 2010

I looked up at the grey sky over my head, trying to decide whether to glare or smile at it. I settled on a glare, smiles were sort of foreign to me nowadays.

I sighed once and slipped into the driver's seat of my sapphire blue Lexus, my mouth twisting slightly when my hands brushed against the smooth dashboard. I loved cars; they were so much faster than the carriages of my human days. I wondered if Edward-. No, I couldn't go there. Not now, at least.

It had been 92 years since I had been turned into a vampire; 92 horrible, pain filled years.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't always miserable… just most of the time.

I had woken up from the burning flames of the vampire transformation to find two vampires, a young girl and an even younger boy, staring at me with wide red eyes. The vampires (two siblings from New York who called themselves Bonnie and Clyde) later told me what I had become and travelled with me while I became assimilated to the vampire life, although they didn't always agree with my habit of feeding on animals instead of humans (I refused to kill an innocent human like my creator had). They came with me when I made a quick trip to Chicago to check on my father, who had taken the news of my disappearance very badly. At my urging, Bonnie managed to convince Charlie that I had been killed by a serial killer who had later destroyed my body (it wasn't exactly a lie… my creator had said basically the same thing to the vampire who had attacked him). It hurt me to see the pain that Charlie was in, but it had to be done. He needed to move on with his life.

I never went back to Chicago after that one visit to Charlie; I was too afraid that someone I knew would recognize me and freak out. Instead, I travelled with Bonnie and Clyde to San Francisco, where the three of us stayed for a few years before we had to leave again to avoid suspicion. I convinced them to feed on animals when we stayed in cities like San Francisco so that we could fit in more. It was a challenge for them but they agreed to do it since it meant so much to me. We travelled like that across the United States, pretending to be three siblings who were working to send money to their family in New York. Soon, we had gathered enough money from the odd jobs over the years that we were able to actually live in houses for a few years before we had to leave again. I always insisted on living in the suburbs that were beginning to crop up outside of big cities; town homes reminded me too much of Edward's house.

I lived with Bonnie and Clyde for thirty years, the happiest part of my immortal life so far. Then, they came. The Volturi.

They came investigating a series of killings that were happening in Austin, Texas during the last years of the Second World War. Bonnie and Clyde had gone there to visit their creator, a southern vampire called Maria, when the Volturi arrived. The Volturi killed Bonnie and Clyde when they defended Maria and took me away when their powers didn't work on me. I later learned that the names of Bonnie and Clyde's murderers were Jane and Alec.

In Volterra, it was discovered by the Volturi leader Aro that I possessed a gift: a shield that protected me from mental powers such as the ones that Jane and Alec possessed. My power intrigued Aro and scared him as well. He didn't like the idea that I could make others immune to the powers of his guards when I grew stronger. He tried to force me to join the Volturi by starving me and locking me in the dungeons. I refused and later escaped from Volterra while they were distracted with feeding. Since then, I have travelled with three groups of vampires; all three of them were destroyed when the Volturi tracked me down.

So now, here I am, 92 years after I was changed, all alone in the small town of Forks, Washington. I moved to Forks three months ago and enrolled in the high school for the tenth time in my life. I found that being among humans helps me hide from the Volturi. After this year is over, I will have to move again to keep the Volturi away. No one else is going to die because of me, not if I can help it.

I shifted nervously in my seat as I parked in the pathetically small parking lot at Forks High School. This town was small enough that everyone knew each other's second cousins. These humans had probably all grown up together. I would be the new girl, the object of unwanted attention. And in my case, attention was deadly.

I got out of my car as clumsily as I could manage (being clumsy doesn't come naturally to a vampire, but it helps when you're blending in with humans) and bent down to grab my book bag, being extra careful to avoid hitting the door of the shiny silver Volvo that was parked beside me. Attention was not what I needed right now.

I pulled the hood of my navy blue jacket over my head and walked quickly into my first class, abruptly thankful that I had registered over the summer and could skip going to the office to announce myself (needless to say, my planning had gotten much better over the years). I slipped into my first class and hurriedly hung my jacket on one of the many pegs that lined the walls. I wasn't the first one in the class, that honor belonged to a thin boy with honey-blonde hair that reached his chin. I took one look at his coal black eyes and quickly sat in a seat at the opposite side of the room. Damn, there were vampires here. Was I never going to catch a break in this world?

More humans filed into the tiny classroom, their voices raised in excited conversation as they took their seats. I sensed a few glances at me, mostly from the boys in the room, but I ignored them. I bent my head low over the papers that the teacher passed around the room, not even bothering to concentrate on the words written in black ink on the print outs. I glanced at the chalkboard long enough to register that the class was English before I looked back down at my desk, feeling bored already. I had probably already read all of the books that would be covered in this class; high schools didn't normally get original with their reading lists.

I shot a glance towards the blonde vampire, feeling a slight jolt to through me when I saw that he was looking at me. I looked quickly away, my lips pressed firmly together to hold back a gasp of surprise. If my heart had still been beating, it would be racing by now.

I slipped out of the classroom when the bell for second period rang, hoping to get away before the vampire could catch me. I nearly sprinted to my next class, but the frustrating human pace was still much too slow.

Thankfully, I didn't see the vampire during my next two classes (which turned out to be Trig and Spanish, my two least favorite subjects). I stubbornly ignored the stares and whistles that were directed at me by the boys who were in my classes, and was careful to turn down the advances of those who were brave enough to speak to me. One boy, a tall jock-type with blond hair and baby blue eyes, approached me twice during the same class. He didn't seem to get the message when I told him to go away. I chuckled once when he walked away. He reminded me so much of Michael. I laughed harder when I learned his name, Mike Newton. Well, it seemed like fate really did hate me.

I almost considered running when the bell rang for lunch, although I knew that I would have to face the noise and annoyance that came with high school lunches eventually. I walked quietly into the cafeteria, careful to stay behind a chattering group of cheerleaders to avoid notice and hurried quickly through the lunch line. I paid for the wasted apple and soda with a small tinge of regret and turned away to scan the cafeteria for any empty tables. I spotted a table hidden in a barely used corner and moved towards it, only to freeze in place when five extremely good-looking teenagers sat there instead.

The blonde vampire from my English class looked up at me from his place beside a tiny female vampire with ink-black pixie hair, his eyes narrowing slightly when he caught my expression. Across from him, another vampire, this one a male with short brown hair and huge, muscular arms, looked up also, his head cocked sideways when he caught sight of me. A gorgeous blonde female peeked out from behind him, her gaze slightly irritated. The fifth vampire was hidden behind the muscular male and the blonde female; he didn't move as the other four watched me warily.

I felt myself tremble slightly under the force of their gaze and felt my eyes begin to burn with unshed tears. It wasn't fair! Why did there have to be five of them? How was I supposed to hide from the Volturi with this many vampires in the area? Why was this happening to me again?

I turned away abruptly and walked quickly to the other side of the cafeteria, my eyes locked on the doors that lead to the girl's bathroom. I saw the pixie-haired vampire following me out of the corner of my eye and walked faster, dumping my tray hastily into the nearest trash can. I hurried into the bathroom and slipped into the nearest stall, slamming the door behind me. I slid down the wall of the stall and crouched on the ground, my head buried in my arms.

"Hello?"

I shuddered at the sound of the female vampire's voice and kept silent. Maybe, if I didn't say anything, she would go away. Maybe.

I heard light footsteps echo in the tiled room and looked up to see the vampire's feet stop outside of my stall. I held my breath, wishing that she would go away.

"Hey," she said quietly. "I know you're in there."

I didn't answer, still praying that she would leave.

"My name is Alice," she continued in a whisper. "Your name is Bella, right?"

"How did you know?" I demanded. Shoot, I hadn't wanted to talk.

"Jasper is in your English class," Alice said quickly, seeming pleased that I was talking. "He heard the teacher call your name."

Jasper… so that was the name of the blonde one in my first class.

"Are you alright?" Alice asked softly. "You seemed scared."

Scared was an understatement.

"Just go away, please," I whispered. I knew she could hear me.

Alice hesitated for a moment before she turned away.

"If you need anything, we'll be happy to help," she said gently.

I heard the door shut after her and breathed a sigh of relief that felt more like a sob.

I wished lunch was over.

EPOV

I leaned back in my seat as the vampire stopped in front of our table, waiting to see her reaction in her mind. Then I frowned.

I could see the girl's emotions through Jasper's thoughts (she was freaking out, but that wasn't quite unusual with Emmett around), I could see that she was going to run away through the vision in Alice's mind, and I could see the frightened look on her face as she stared at Emmett through his thoughts, and yet I couldn't hear the girl's thoughts at all. They were just a blank.

I watched through the thoughts of my family as the girl ran away, not bothering to look at her myself. I looked at Alice in surprise when she got up.

_I need to talk to her_, she told me.

I shrugged and watched as the walked away, careful to keep tabs on her thoughts.

_Bella was really scared_, Jasper thought, seeming concerned, which was unusual for him.

"Bella?" I asked.

He looked at me and nodded.

"That's her name. She's in my English class," he explained. He frowned when he felt the wave of pain that went through me. "Oh, sorry."

I shrugged and looked away, fighting back the pain. Though it had been over 90 years since I was changed, I had never been able to forget the girl who had stolen my heart when I was a human. I had tried to find her after I was changed but…

I broke away from my thoughts when Alice returned, her face troubled.

"She's really upset about something," she said quietly. "I don't know what, though."

Jasper and I exchanged frowns and looked towards the door that Bella had gone through.

"Maybe I scared her," Emmett mused, not really seeming upset by the prospect.

Jasper shook his head.

"No, she wasn't scared of you, Emmett," he said slowly. "She's afraid of something else, something worse."

"Something worse than Emmett?" Rosalie repeated her eyebrows raised. "Is that even possible?"

Emmett frowned at her, his lips turned down in a pout.

"Well, whatever it is, we need to find out what's wrong with her," Jasper sighed, the remains of a smile fading from his face. "Does anyone else have class with her?"

Alice frowned and concentrated on the near future.

"Edward does," she told us. "Maybe he can figure something out."

I nodded, more than a little excited. Perhaps now I could figure out why I couldn't read Bella's mind. I glanced at the outdated clock mounted above the cafeteria door, waiting impatiently for lunch to be over.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight! (sigh) All of the credit belongs to Stephanie Meyer!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

BPOV

I slipped out of the restroom two minutes after the bell rang for fifth period, making sure to run through the empty cafeteria as fast as possible. I sighed with relief when none of the vampires approached me. Though Alice had seemed nice enough, I couldn't risk having contact with other vampires. Not again.

I ran into my fifth period class (which I guessed was Biology based on the microscopes that were placed neatly on the shelves at the back of the room) with just minutes to spare. The teacher was late, thank goodness, so I didn't get scolded about being tardy on my first day. I looked around the room, searching for a seat, and noticed that the insufferable Mike Newton was in this class also. His face brightened up when he saw me and he waved, earning me a glare from the girl who sat behind him. Thankfully, the seat beside him was taken, so I wouldn't have to sit by him in this class. The only problem about this arrangement: there was only one seat unoccupied. And it was next to the fifth vampire.

I walked slowly towards the vampire and sat down warily in the seat beside him. I barely had time to register the fact that he had startlingly bronze hair before he looked up and I stopped breathing.

Edward's eyes widened as our eyes met, his mouth falling open in a silent gasp. I felt my eyes burn with unshed tears as I turned hastily away, trying desperately to convince myself that this wasn't real. It couldn't be real, it couldn't be. And yet…

I saw Edward reach out to touch me out of the corner of my eyes, his hand hovering an inch above my skin.

"Bella?" he whispered, his voice so low that no human could even hope to overhear him.

I trembled at the sound of his voice and kept my eyes focused on the front of the room, silently begging the teacher to hurry.

Edward frowned and withdrew his hand. He opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted when the teacher walked into the room, his blood reeking with alcohol. Well, at least now I knew where he had been. I breathed a silent sigh of relief and tried desperately to concentrate on the lesson (not that I needed to, I probably knew more about this subject than the teacher himself).

Edward growled something under his breath but I tried to ignore him. I breathed another sigh of relief when the class finally ended, my hands already flying towards the strap of my bag. I felt my eyes burn again with tears that I would never shed, knowing what I would have to do. I couldn't stay here, it was too dangerous. I would have to leave, preferably tomorrow. I could pull out of the school tonight if I played my cards right…

I moved towards the door that the rest of the class, including the teacher, was filing out of, only to be held back by a firm hand that had closed around the back of my blue jacket.

"Oh no, you don't," Edward growled, his black eyes flashing. He waited until the other students had left the room, glaring with extra ferocity at a hesitant Mike Newton when he paused in the doorway.

When the last of the human students had disappeared down the hall towards their last class, Edward moved quickly out of the door, his grip never loosening on my shirt. He dragged me down the hallway to the exit, barely giving me time to get my footing before he had pulled me out of the door.

"Let me go," I gasped as he directed me towards the forests that were everywhere in Forks. "I have Gym next."

"You'll live, I'm sure," he said tightly.

"It's the first day," I objected feebly. I hated Gym, but anything was better than being alone with him.

"I'm sure they won't miss you," he replied flatly.

He finally let me go once we had reached the tree line, his arms folding across his chest as he leaned against the trunk of a tree.

"Don't try to run," he warned. "Alice will see you before you do it and I would really prefer it if I could talk to you without having to chase you down."

I frowned, weighing the chances I had of out running him. I had to admit, they probably weren't good. I nodded mutely, praying silently that I wasn't signing Edward's death warrant.

"Explain," Edward said simply, his eyes guarded.

"What do you want to know?" I asked resignedly.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm trying to finish high school," I said wryly.

A small smile tugged at the edge of his lips but was quickly suppressed.

"I meant, why are you a vampire?" he asked.

I hesitated for a moment, debating once again whether to run. Edward frowned and stepped towards me, his hand closing on my upper arm.

"Bella," he growled. "You need to tell me."

I sighed and gave in.

"I was changed by a vampire right after I learned that you and your family had died," I explained wearily. "He left me in a forest somewhere outside of Chicago and never came back."

Recognition flashed through Edward's eyes and his frown deepened.

"It was you, wasn't it?" I guessed quietly. "You're the one who stopped him from killing me."

"I didn't know it at the time," he murmured. "I thought… he said you were…"

"Dead. I know, I heard him," I said shortly. "He threw me into the tree before you came so."

Edward growled quietly and shook his head with silent disgust.

"I should have known," he muttered. "I should have…"

"It's not your fault," I sighed. "What could you have done, anyway?"

Edward shrugged. He looked down at me for a long moment, his eyes softening.

"I missed you," he said quietly.

I felt my skin grow warm, although of course I couldn't blush anymore. Edward smiled and put his arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. I hesitated for a moment before hugging him back. Volturi or no Volturi, I had missed him too.

After a few minutes that seemed like seconds, Edward pulled back, his eyes troubled as a new thought occurred to him.

"Why were you so afraid of us?" he asked.

I stiffened and drew back a little, feeling suddenly nervous. I couldn't tell anyone about what the Volturi had done to me, especially not Edward.

"Bella?" he said cautiously, his hand reaching out to touch my cheek.

"I have to go," I said shortly, drawing back from his outstretched hand. I saw the hurt in his eyes for a moment before I turned and ran away. I hesitated for a brief moment when I saw my car before moving on with a shrug. I could always get it later. Or, if that failed, I could just get a new car. I had heard that there was a new Mercedes out…

I heard Edward call after me but I ignored him as I ran straight for the boundaries of La Push. I stopped just inches away from the boundary line and sighed with relief when I didn't hear him following me. My head whipped around as a low growl sounded from beneath the trees. A large russet colored wolf stepped out of the shadows, a smaller sandy wolf at his side. I smiled weakly.

"Hey Jake, hey Seth," I greeted.

Seth barked in greeting, his tail wagging slightly. Jacob shot him a look and disappeared into the woods for a moment to change. He walked out of the trees moments later, his eyebrows raised slightly in surprise.

"Hey Bella," he said carefully. "What's up?"

I shrugged, feeling my eyes burn again.

"Nothing much," I choked out, hating how my voice sounded.

Seth whined and nudged Jacob's leg with his nose before disappearing into the forest in a flash of fur.

"Where is he going?" I asked.

Jacob shrugged, looking uncomfortable.

"He went to get his sister," he muttered. "He doesn't think us boys will be able to… ah… help you out with these kind of problems."

I couldn't help but chuckle at how awkward Jacob looked.

"So the mighty werewolf is scared by emotions?" I teased. "That's interesting."

Jacob scowled at me, his expression quickly melting into one of concern.

"Did they find you?" he asked warily.

I shook my head and shivered. I had told the La Push wolves about my problems with the Volturi shortly after I had met them two months ago. Though I was not allowed on their lands, I had developed semi-friendly relationships with most of the wolves and had become fairly good friends with Seth and Jacob.

"There are some more vampires," I told him quietly. "I saw them at school."

Jacob's eyebrows rose and his face hardened.

"Edward is with them," I added quietly.

Jacob's eyebrows disappeared into his silky black hair and he sat down across from me, his back leaning against a tree.

"Are they like you?" he asked, gesturing towards my gold eyes.

I nodded.

"I think so," I muttered.

"Ah," he said. "That's not a problem, then." He frowned. "Is that why you're so upset? Because Edward is with them?"

"I thought you weren't good with the emotional stuff," I mumbled.

Jacob shrugged and grinned.

"I'm not, but let's face it; Seth is never going to convince Leah to come."

Leah was Seth's older sister and the only female wolf in the pack. She also happened to have a deep-rooted dislike for me since I was a vampire.

I sighed then and smiled slightly.

"It's not that," I muttered. "I'm happy- you can't imagine how happy- to see Edward again after all of these years. I was in love with him, you know, when I was human."

Jacob made a gagging motion, his mouth twisting into a wicked grin when I punched him lightly in the arm.

"I'm just afraid of the Volturi," I sighed. "It's easier for them to find me when I'm around other vampires. Since they can't track me, I think they use the vampires around me to find out where I am."

"So you think that, because you're with vamps again, the Volturi will find you?" Jacob said slowly.

"I'm afraid that they will find Edward and kill him like they did the others," I admitted.

Jacob frowned.

"That's a dilemma," he muttered.

"Yep," I agreed flatly.

"So why don't you just tell them about your problems like you told us?" he suggested.

"Because, I know that they would still insist on staying with me," I said tiredly. "And then they would die, just like all of the others."

"Are you going to leave?" Jacob asked quietly, his eyes intent.

I shrugged helplessly.

"I thought about it," I admitted. "But…"

"But you don't want to leave Edward again, right?" Jake guessed, looking way too mused for this conversation.

I shot him a sideways look and straightened up.

"I should go," I sighed. "Tell Seth and Leah I said hi."

Jacob grinned and straightened up as well.

"What makes you think Leah's going to care?" he asked.

"She won't, but its common courtesy," I said wearily.

Jacob chuckled and ran back into the woods. I heard him shift as he ran and turned to go back to the school. I needed my car.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight (Oh, don't I wish…) All of the credit belongs to Stephanie Meyer! Thanks to the people who reviewed!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

EPOV

I stood absolutely still and watched as Bella ran away, my heart sinking lower in my chest with every step she took. I called after her once, but she didn't turn, didn't even glance in my direction as she ran through the woods. I glanced down at the ground where she had stood moments before and frowned. She had left her keys.

Alice, of course, was waiting for me in the parking lot when I returned, a scowl playing across her thin face as she leaned against the hood of a sapphire blue Lexus.

_That didn't go well_, she noted sourly.

"Shut up, Alice," I grumbled under my breath. "That's not your car, by the way."

"I know, its Bella's," she said dismissively. "Why on earth didn't you go after her?"

I was asking myself the exact same thing.

"I don't know," I admitted. "It seemed like she… needed some time alone."

"Well, she's going to get some time alone," Alice muttered. "Her future just disappeared; I can't see a thing."

I felt my breath catch and felt Jasper give me a sharp look from his place by my Volvo. No, I couldn't lose Bella again. Not now, not after I had found her again.

"Is she alright?" I demanded, feeling frantic.

Alice glared at me.

"How am I supposed to tell if I can't see her future?" she demanded. "I'm sure she's fine, though," she added hastily when she saw my expression. "I didn't see anything attack her, I just saw her running through the woods and-." Alice broke off suddenly, going through the vision in her mind. She frowned.

_Do you think she knows about the wolves?_ She asked.

I frowned.

"I don't know," I admitted. "Why?"

_She was running towards the reservation before she disappeared_, she said quietly.

Jasper flitted quickly to my side, his expression anxious.

"Edward?" he asked quietly. "Are you okay? You're emotions are going all over the place."

I shook my head, feeling the panic set in.

"Tell Emmett he can't drive," I said curtly, tossing the keys over my shoulder. Jasper caught them easily, still slightly concerned. Alice pushed away from Bella's car, her hand held out expectantly.

"I'll take Bella's keys," she said cheerfully. "I'll follow Jazz and leave it at our house."

"That's called grand theft auto, Alice," Rosalie sighed, looking only slightly annoyed by the prospect.

"It's not stealing if you're intending on returning it," Alice argued, her lower lip set out in a pout. "Besides, if her car is at our house then she has to come and visit."

I turned and ran away before I could hear more of my sister's slightly twisted logic. I paused for a moment when I reached the place where Bella and I had stood just minutes before, my nostrils flared as I tried to catch her scent. Just as Alice had predicted, it lead straight to La Push. I ran after her, feeling my unease grow with every second as I drew closer to the reservation. The wolves wouldn't hurt Bella unless she stepped over the boundary line… right? Surely she wouldn't get that close to the line without seeing the danger that La Push held; the wolves were usually on patrols around the border this time of day.

I was so distracted by my fears for Bella's safety that I almost ran into her as she was running away from the reservation. Almost.

"Edward?" she said with surprise, her gold eyes widening as I skidded to a halt in front of her. "What are you-?"

I didn't give her a chance to finish. I reached out and pulled her into my arms again, my muscles shaking with relief that she was safe.

"Bella," I sighed, pulling away briefly to look her over with sharp eyes. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, looking slightly confused. My eyes raked over her, making sure that there were no signs that she had been in a fight. I didn't see any teeth or claw marks…

"What were you thinking?" I demanded.

"Um, what do you mean?" she asked slowly, clearly wondering if I was insane- which I probably was, at the moment.

"You know what I mean," I said impatiently. "Alice saw your future disappear and we thought… Why on earth would you go to La Push?"

"I wanted to talk to some friends," she replied defensively.

I stared at her for a few moments, watching her brow furrow in a frown.

"You have friends in La Push?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes."

"You know- you know what they are, don't you?"

She nodded, seeming slightly annoyed.

"Yes," she said. "I know most of the wolf pack, although only Jake, Seth, Quill and Embry seem to really like me."

I stared at her for a moment in surprise before shrugging and hugging her once more.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled against my shoulder. "I didn't mean to worry you."

I chuckled quietly and pulled away from her. Even after 92 years, she was still the same old Bella.

"Come on," I said suddenly. "Alice wants you to meet the rest of our family."

Bella frowned, and even though I couldn't read her thoughts I could see that she was seriously considering running. The knowledge hurt me more than it should.

"I-I'm sorry, but I really need to go and get my car," she muttered shamefacedly.

I nodded and smiled, suddenly loving my sister even more than I already did.

"Alice thought that you would say that," I told her as seriously as I could. "Your car is at our house."

Bella stiffened and I saw another flash of fear in her eyes. The fear faded slightly and she sighed in defeat.

"Alright, then," she muttered. "Where is your house?"

I grinned and took her hand, feeling a small jolt go through me at the contact.

_Thank you, Alice_, I thought gratefully.

Somewhere far away, I heard her laughing.

_You're welcome, Edward_, she sang in her head.

My smile widened and I quickened my pace, making sure that Bella's hand was still firmly in mine.

We were going home.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight (oh, how I wish); all of the credit belongs to Stephanie Meyer! Thanks to all of the people who have read and/or reviewed! You guys rock!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

BPOV

I tried not to have a panic attack when we finally stopped in front of the Cullen house, which was actually pretty easy since I was too preoccupied staring at their house.

Like most vampires who have enough self control to stay in an area long enough to make money, I had a good amount of cash saved up in the bank (granted, that bank was still in Vancouver, but still). Unlike most vampires who had accumulated a small fortune, I didn't like to spend that money. The only things that I had really spent a lot on over the years had been my cars (I had had a Porsche in Vancouver) and the occasional apartment or house. Looking up at the Cullen house, I was starting to rethink my spending philosophy.

The house alone would have been amazing, what with the huge glass wall that made up an entire side of the house and the gigantic garage that housed a number of amazing cars that included the silver Volvo and a black Mercedes-Benz. However, my attention was quickly redirected to the river that flowed through the lawn in the back of the house and the emerald green lawns that stretched away in every direction. I stopped for a moment at the edge of the forest that surrounded the grounds, my eyes widening as I took it all in.

Edward paused beside me and smiled slightly, his golden eyes watching my reaction intently.

"What do you think?" he murmured.

"It's beautiful," I whispered.

Edward grinned and cocked his head in the direction of the house. His smile widened.

"Alice says thank you," he muttered.

I frowned at him, confused. I hadn't heard anything.

"I can read minds," Edward explained hastily, seeing my confused expression. He winced slightly. "Speaking of minds, Emmett's is pretty loud at the moment."

I raised my eyebrows and continued to walk towards the house, although my pace was slower than it had been before.

"Are you the only one in your coven with gifts?" I asked casually, trying not to reveal how nervous I was. The more gifts a coven had, the more likely it was that the Volturi would find them, especially when the coven was as big as Edward's was.

Edward shook his head. He shot a quick glance at me, making me think that I hadn't been very successful at hiding my anxiety.

"Alice can see the future," he said quietly. "And Jasper, Alice's husband, can sense and influence the emotions of others."

Huh. So that was why Alice had seen my future disappear when I went to see Jake and Seth.

"What about you?" Edward asked his eyes intent on my expression. "Do you have any gifts?"

I avoided his gaze, feeling my unease grow. I wondered if Jasper could feel how uncomfortable I was from wherever he was in the house. My eyes swept over the grounds again, searching for something to change the subject. My gaze landed on a flash of ink-black hair as the tiny vampire girl darted towards us, her face set in a pout.

"Edward," she whined. "Why are you making Bella run away? I wanted her to see the inside of the house!"

Edward's eyebrows rose and he glanced at me again. I looked away, wondering if it were possible for a vampire to blush.

"I wasn't aware that I was doing anything to make Bella run away, Alice," he admitted quietly. "I simply asked her if she had any gifts."

Alice frowned and rolled her eyes.

"Ugh," she sighed in exasperation. "What is it with you men and manners? Come on, Bella, Carlisle and Esme want to meet you."

I frowned but followed her reluctantly. Carlisle and Esme? Were they the blonde girl and the muscular guy from the lunch table? But then, who was Emmett? How many people were in this coven?

"There are seven of us," Alice said promptly, answering my unasked question. "Carlisle is our father figure, and the leader. Esme is his wife, and our mother figure. You saw Emmett and Rosalie at lunch; Emmett was the huge one and Rosalie, his wife, was the blonde girl who sat beside him. I'm Alice, obviously, and my husband, Jasper, is in your English class."

Oh, so that was why he had stared at me so much. He must have felt how scared I was by his presence.

"There are seven of you?" I repeated with growing alarm.

Alice frowned, her eyes going blank for a moment as she registered my tone.

Edward chuckled.

"Who is driving her away now, Alice?" he murmured.

Alice glared at him and put a firm hand on my arm. I had the feeling that the gesture was as much a friendly gesture as it was a restraint. Oh great, now I was a prisoner of vampires. Again. I hoped that I wasn't starting some sort of cycle.

A tall man with blonde hair and golden eyes met us at the door, a woman with curling brown hair at his side. For a moment, I thought that the man was Jasper. Then I took a closer look at his face and realized that he was older than the boy in my English class, perhaps in his early thirties instead of his late teens.

"Hello," he said kindly, his lips curling into a welcoming smile. "My name is Carlisle. You must be Bella."

I nodded and shot a hesitant glance at Alice and Edward.

"Alice hasn't stopped talking about you since she got home," the woman added. "My name is Esme, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella."

I smiled cautiously.

"Um, thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you, too," I said shyly.

Esme and Carlisle smiled warmly at me. Their heads turned as the burly vampire from the cafeteria came barreling into the room with a huge grin on his face.

"Hi!" he called happily. "I'm Emmett. Are you still afraid of me?"

I took an automatic step back as he ran towards me. Emmett didn't pause before pulling me into a gigantic bear-hug.

"I…can't…breathe," I gasped.

Emmett chuckled and let me down. I landed heavily on the hardwood floor of the Cullen house, my eyes wide.

"Silly, vampires don't need to breathe," he pointed out. He cocked his head and looked at me intently. "So, are you still afraid of me?"

I opened my mouth, not sure what I should say. The blonde vampire from my English class walked into the room with a gorgeous blonde girl right behind him.

"Emmett," the blonde guy said with amusement. "I kept telling you that she wasn't afraid of you specifically; she was more overwhelmed at the sight of all five of us. Although, if you keep hugging her like you were a few minutes ago, she might actually be afraid of you more than she is of the rest of us. I'm Jasper," he added, sensing my confusion. "This is Rosalie."

The blonde girl, Rosalie, gave me a small smile before she walked to Emmett's side.

"Don't mind Emmett," she said calmly. "He always gets excited when he meets new people."

I nodded, trying to hide my growing fear from Jasper. From what Edward and Alice had told me, I wouldn't be able to hide my unease for long.

Jasper frowned at me, unconvinced by my efforts to hide my unease.

"Bella?" he asked cautiously. "Are you alright?"

Edward shot me a look, his eyebrows furrowed with confusion at Jasper's tone.

I shook my head and looked down at the ground, weighing my chances of running away. I had to admit, between Alice's visions and Jasper's emotions sensing abilities, they weren't good.

"Bella," Alice whined. "Stop trying to run away, will you? I don't want to have to make Emmett be your jailer but I will."

I winced and eyed Emmett warily. He grinned in return, his arms held out for another hug.

"Alice," Esme reprimanded gently. "Bella doesn't have to stay if she doesn't want to."

I gave her a grateful look, feeling a flash of guilt go through me when I saw the faint tinge of hurt in her eyes.

"Um, I suppose I could just stay for a little bit," I mumbled.

Alice grinned and gave Jasper a hug.

"Thanks, Jazz," she whispered before grabbing my hand and dragging me up the main staircase that dominated the Cullen's foyer.

I glared once at Jasper before Alice pulled me completely out of sight. Shoot, I had forgotten about his ability to influence emotions. I heard him and Emmett laugh from below us and felt my face burn with the memory of a blush.

"Come on, Bella," Alice whispered happily. "I want to show you Edward's room. Something tells me that you'll love it!"

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight! All of the credit belongs to the amazing Stephanie Meyer! Thanks to all of the people who have read and reviewed this story! And thanks also to the people who added this story to their favorites list!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

BPOV

I walked slowly behind Alice, my eyes flickering between the wooden doors that lined the halls. I paused by one of the few open ones and looked through the doorway.

I blinked in surprise when I saw the vibrant red color of the walls and the dark black comforter that was thrown haphazardly over the hastily made sheets over a humongous king size bed. From the few slivers of fabric that showed through the comforter, I could see that the sheets were a red color that was just a shade darker than the scarlet walls. A large wardrobe made of ebony wood was placed against one of the long walls on the left side of the bed, its dark shadow partially hiding a matching vanity piled high with makeup. On the other side of the giant bed, a huge dart board had been mounted on the walls, its surface plastered with pictures of the Spanish and Biology teachers.

"That is Rosalie and Emmett's bedroom," Alice murmured in my ear.

I turned towards her, my eyebrows raised skeptically. My eyes flickered back to the pictures of the teachers, a small smile twisting my lips.

"Emmett hates Spanish and Biology," Alice whispered, her voice shaking with barely concealed laughter. "They are the only subjects that Edward and Jazz constantly surpass him in. All three of them are equal in the other subjects."

My smile widened and I turned away from the room.

"Funny," I murmured. "I happen to like Biology."

Alice snorted and took my hand. She dragged me down the hall to another room which had the door closed. She opened it and pulled me in.

"This is Jasper and I's room," she said triumphantly.

I looked around at the tasteful moss green and gold walls, my gaze falling on the neatly made queen sized bed with the light sage sheets that peeked shyly above the lilac comforter. Just like in Rosalie's room, a vanity was placed at one end of the room, although this one was made of lighter wood than the one in Rosalie's room, and there was no wardrobe in sight. Low bedside tables were placed at either end of the bed. One of them, a dusty oak table covered with the remains of a grey wool cloth, had two picture frames placed at opposite ends of the surface: one of them, a black-and-white photo in a faded silver frame, showed a family of four gathered together in a formal pose. One of the four, a tall man in a Confederate uniform, looked an awful lot like Jasper. The other picture frame showed a large color photograph of Alice and Jasper holding each other, their mouths curved into twin smiles of pure joy.

The other bedside table was made of the same wood as the vanity. Its surface was covered by a small silk cloth and a photo identical to the one of Jasper and Alice that was on the other bedside table. A small gold bracelet lay coiled beside the photo, its delicate chain carefully placed on the silk fabric.

I turned away from the tables to see Alice watching me, her gaze intent.

"The second photo on the bedside table is of Jasper's family," she murmured, answering my future question. "The bracelet is the only thing I have left of mine."

I felt my face burn slightly with the memory of a blush and I looked down at the floor.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"It's okay," Alice replied casually. "I don't remember them at all. I… don't remember anything from my human life."

I frowned and felt a small stab of pity. I knew how hard it was to hold onto human memories; my own memories of Charlie had dimmed so much that I could barely picture his face, and my memories of Michael were only kept alive by the insufferable Mike Newton. My only clear memories were of the vampire who had changed me… and of Edward.

"No wardrobe?" I asked, trying to find a change of subject.

Alice laughed lightly and opened a door that stood beside the vanity. I felt my mouth fall open as she dragged me into the enormous walk-in closet that was lined on all sides by clothes and shoes that seemed to have just come off of the catwalks in Paris.

"Um… wow?" I said weakly.

Alice laughed again at my expression.

"They're not all mine, of course," she said dismissively. "Some of these are Jaspers."

"Which ones?" I muttered, glancing again at the clothes. As far as I could tell, they were all made for girls…

Alice pushed aside a curtain of cocktail dressed to reveal another part of the closet that was filled to the max with stylish men's clothes.

"Aw," I said under my breath, wondering if I should feel ashamed or not. This closet was twice the size of my apartment; not to mention to fact that I was clueless when it came to fashion. As long as jeans and hoodies were in style, I would be fine. Apparently, the rule didn't apply to Alice.

Alice laughed again at my expression and tugged at my arm again.

"Come on," she whispered. "There's one more room I need you to see."

I followed her, feeling a vague sense of curiosity. Alice paused in front of a dark wood door and turned around to face me.

"Close your eyes," she said, sounding mischievous.

I did so, wondering if I should be afraid. After all, I barely knew Edward's sister. For all I knew, she could be about to lock me in a closet of doom or something like that.

I heard the door open with a soft click and felt Alice's hand press against my back as she pushed me gently inside. I stepped inside of the room slowly, knowing for certain that Alice would see me open my eyes before I even decided to do it, no matter how curious I was.

"Okay," Alice's voice said softly in my ear. "You can look now."

I opened my eyes and gasped quietly.

The walls in the room were a deep dusky gold that matched the butterscotch color of the Cullens' eyes. A whole side of the room was covered with shelves of CDs that ranged from as retro as the early twenties to as modern as the latest Usher CD. I even saw a large pile of classical music like Debussy and Bach that took up the entire right side of the shelves. On the other side of the room, a large leather couch was pressed up against the wall, its armrest brushing against the edges of an extremely high-tech stereo set. A small black dresser was squeezed into another corner of the room, its surface covered with pictures. I smiled at the color photos of the Cullens smiling and laughing together, feeling my eyes burn when I saw the picture of Alice pulling Edward into a photo of her and Jasper in front of an off-white house that looked surprisingly like the one that I was in now. I froze when I saw a single black-and-white photo tucked lovingly into the corner of the dresser. The photo showed a small woman with dark hair piled into soft ringlets on the top of her head, her lips curved into a shy smile as she looked at the camera. I felt my eyes burn and I turned away, careful to keep my expression from Alice. She saw it anyways; there was no hiding things from Alice.

She cleared her throat quietly and backed out of the room.

"I'll leave you here for a few moments," she whispered. "Come down to the living room when you're done here, okay? I think Edward wanted to show you something."

I nodded, my gaze still fixed on the small photograph. I remembered with agonizing clarity the day that I had gotten that picture taken; Edward and Charlie had forced me to have it taken the day of my seventeenth birthday so that I could 'capture the moment forever'. Edward had later taken the photograph at my insistence when we had started courting. I hadn't realized that he had kept it.

I turned hastily away from the photo and walked around the room slowly, my hands gliding gently across the rows of classical CDs. There was a lot of Debussy there. I smiled, remembering that the composer had been his favorite since he was fifteen.

I walked out of the room after a few minutes, being careful not to disturb anything. I walked slowly down the hallway, glancing once more at the open door of Rosalie's room with a small smile. I stopped outside of another door that had remained open during my tour, feeling curiosity build inside of me when I heard Carlisle's voice coming from inside.

Trying to ignore the guilt I felt at poking around in rooms that I hadn't seen yet, I peeked through the door, looking with interest at the paintings that lined the walls. Then I froze.

A large painting of the Volturi hung on the wall opposite me, their red eyes glaring down at me with contempt. In the far corner of the painting, was Carlisle.

I stumbled out of the doorway, feeling shock course through me in waves. I whirled around and nearly ran into Alice, who was standing in front of me with wide, blank eyes.

"He's coming soon," she whispered in a flat, hollow voice.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight! All of the credit belongs to Stephanie Meyer! Sorry for the delay, guys, things are getting very busy on the home front. ;) Also, I will be away until Sunday night, so please be patient, alright? I'll update as soon as I can.**

**Thank you!**

**-Luxio Nyx**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

BPOV

I ran away from Alice before she could recover, ignoring Jasper as he ran past me towards his wife, with Carlisle and Esme close behind him. Esme shot me a confused look as she passed, but her concern for Alice was more powerful than her feelings towards me and she hurried to catch up with her husband.

I darted noiselessly down the staircase, trying to figure out the best way to get out of the house. My eyes fixed on the tasteful wooden door that I had walked through when I first entered the house and I tried to go even faster. How long would I have before they came after me? A minute? A few seconds? I needed to be gone by then.

I skidded to a halt just inches from the door when I saw Edward waiting there, his gold eyes confused.

"Bella?" he said slowly. "Are you alright?"

I hesitated, casting another glance behind me at where the other Cullens were gathered around Alice. I thought once more of the picture on Carlisle's wall and shuddered.

"I-I need to go," I said hurriedly, trying to move past Edward to the open door.

Edward frowned and caught me effortlessly by the arm, holding me back.

"Why?" he asked, concern mixing with hurt in his tone. "What happened? Did Alice-?"

"No," I said quickly, trying to move out of his strong grip. "No, Alice was fine. I just… I need to go. I'm sorry."

Edward's grip loosened on my arm but he still refused to let me out of the door. His gold eyes studied my face for a moment, their expression darkening.

"You're not coming back, are you?" he whispered.

I shook my head and broke away from his grip, my feet already carrying me into the forest around the Cullen house. I heard Edward call my name but I ignored him like I had ignored Jasper. Some part of me remembered that my car was still at the Cullen's house. I mentally shrugged and pushed the thought away. I could always get a new car. Maybe I would get a Mercedes this time…

I sensed rather than heard someone following me and quickly made a beeline for the river that flowed nearby. Water was usually very good at erasing one's scent.

A hand reached out from the trees to my left and fastened around my hair. I bit back a scream as the hand dragged me back into the trees while another hand fastened itself around my waist. My nostrils flared when I caught my attacker's scent. It wasn't one of the Volturi, but it wasn't one of the Cullens either. So why was the scent familiar to me?

"Hello, child," a silky voice whispered cheerfully in my ear. "My, it has been awhile. I assume you are enjoying your life so far?"

I twisted in his grip, trying to get away, but his grip stayed strong. The voice chuckled.

"Now child," he reprimanded wickedly. "That is no way to treat an old friend, now is it?"

"Let me go," I hissed through clenched teeth. "Who are you?"

The vampire released his grip on my hair and spun me around to face him, his other hand still tight on my waist. I caught my breath and tried desperately to get away. The man sneered at me, his red eyes glowing with satisfaction.

It was the vampire who had changed me.

"I know we never got to properly introduce ourselves," he continued lazily. "Your little friend back there rudely interrupted us before we could have a chance to chat. You may call me Robert, if you like; although I hope that you do not use those horrible nicknames that children of this generation come up with. I do detest the name Bob."

I trembled slightly and tried once again to pull away, but Robert's grip on my waist stayed tight.

"You know, this is the part of the conversation where you introduce yourself, Miss Bella," he pointed out sternly. "Although, I suppose the effort would be wasted since I already know exactly who you are."

I stopped struggling and glanced at him warily.

"You do?" I asked cautiously. Great, now I had a vampire stalker.

Robert nodded, his mouth twisting in a malicious grin.

"Of course," he said silkily. "How else do you think dear Aro always finds you?"

I felt my mouth fall open and I stared at him.

"You told him where I was?" I gasped. "How?"

Robert shrugged.

"I have the gift of telepathy," he explained absently. "I merely sent him telepathic messages whenever I found you. I must say, he's paid me handsomely for it."

I twisted again and felt his grip break. I backed away from him slowly, too afraid to run. If he had told Aro that I was here, would the Cullens…?

"Don't worry, I haven't told him that you are here yet," he said easily, guessing my thoughts. "It has been very frustrating, you know, to watch you walk around in your new life, knowing that I would have killed you all of those years ago if not for some twist of fate. If it wasn't for Aro's orders… However, he doesn't have to know that I killed you… the Cullens would make fine scapegoats…. Or even those charming wolves you adore so much… Yes, I'm sure that that would work."

I growled at him, feeling the fury build up inside of me. It was one thing for him to screw up my life, but there was no way that I was going to let him do the same to Edward and his family; or Jake and Seth, for that matter.

Robert smirked as I shifted into a defensive crouch, his fangs glittering in the dim light.

"I rather hoped that you would fight," he purred.

Then he lunged.

EPOV

I ran after Bella, my eyes narrowing as I tried to follow her scent through the trees. I heard Emmett's heavy footsteps behind me as he followed me closely, his steps shadowed by Jasper's soundless sprint. I still didn't know exactly why they were following me, although judging from their thoughts it had something to do with Alice's vision. I wasn't sure if I should feel comforted by that or scared.

Jasper paused briefly beside the river, his nostrils flaring as he caught another scent. He motioned towards Emmett and darted away on another path, leaving me to follow Bella.

I skidded to a stop when I heard voices up ahead, my ears catching Bella's growl at the same moment that I heard another man's thoughts.

_This should be easy…_

I felt my lips curl in a snarl as I saw him lunge at Bella, my snarl dying in my throat when he caught her on the shoulder. Bella screamed and turned on him, her hands scratching at his exposed neck as he bit into her shoulder.

I growled and ran towards them, my surroundings blurring around me as I pushed myself forward. I broke through the trees around them and tackled the vampire, shoving him roughly away from Bella.

The man landed neatly on his feet and growled at me, exposing his teeth. I recognized him as the vampire who had supposedly killed Bella years ago and snarled back at him.

The vampire smirked and moved forward, his narrowed eyes focusing on me.

"You again," he murmured. "Maybe I'll actually get to kill you now."

Bella hissed at him and shifted into a crouch beside me, a crescent-shaped scar already marring her shoulder. I would tear the vampire apart for wounding her.

The vampire smirked and moved forward, only to stiffen as Emmett's furious roar echoed throughout the forest. My brothers lunged at the vampire, knocking him onto the ground. I leapt away from Bella's side with a growl and joined them as they took the vampire apart. I heard Bella take a step back and looked up quickly. There was no way that I was going to let her leave now.

Bella's eyes met mine and she winced, her hand flying to the bite on her shoulder. I frowned and darted away from the vampire as Jasper and Emmett started to burn him. I gathered Bella effortlessly into my arms and ran back towards the house. She made a small noise of protest but gave up and stayed still until we came in sight of the house. She whimpered slightly and struggled weakly when Alice opened the door, her eyes wide.

Alice frowned and glanced at me, more confused than ever.

"Bella," I said quietly, waiting until she met my gaze before continuing. "You need to tell us what's wrong."

Bella hesitated, her eyes flickering to where Rose, Esme, and Carlisle stood, their expressions ranging from concern to suspicion. She stiffened when Jasper and Emmett ran past us into the house, her gaze finally meeting mine.

She nodded.

I gently laid her down onto one of the white couches in our living room and took a seat beside her. I raised my eyebrows when Alice sat on her other side but made no comment.

I looked steadily at Bella and waited until the rest of my family was seated before saying one word.

"Explain."

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight! All of the credit belongs to Stephanie Meyer! Thanks to all of the people who have been so patient with me!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I glanced once around the room at the assembled Cullens, my gaze resting on Edward last. I sighed once and nodded.

"Let's get this over with," I muttered. Then I straightened up on the couch and started to speak, being careful to only look at Edward. It was bad enough that I had to tell my story for the first time in decades, let alone the fact that I was telling my story in front of six strangers.

"After Robert changed me, I met these two vampires, Bonnie and Clyde." I winced slightly at the mention of my first family, feeling a small pang of sadness over their death. "They traveled with me for a few years and helped me get used to being a vampire. I decided to drink animal blood on my own and tried to convince them to try my new diet. They did, but only when we stayed in a certain place for awhile so that they could at least attempt to blend in. We traveled together for thirty years."

I paused again, feeling a lump form in my throat as I thought about the next part of the story. The one called Jasper watched me curiously, no doubt feeling the pain I was going through.

"And then?" Edward prompted gently, his gold eyes concerned.

I steeled myself and cast a wary glance over at Carlisle. I wondered once more if I could trust him, after all he was the one with a huge painting of the Volturi in his study. Carlisle looked back at me, his eyes as concerned as Edward's. I sighed.

"The Volturi came for us," I muttered, my eyes lowering as a small hiss of surprise escaped Edward's lips. "Bonnie and Clyde went to visit their creator in Austin, Texas and the Volturi killed them. They took me away with them when their powers didn't work on me. They told me that I had a shield that could protect me and those around me from all kinds of mental powers when I grew stronger. Aro thought that I could be a useful addition to the Volturi and tried to force me to join. I later escaped while they were feeding and have been on the run ever since."

I hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not to continue. After all, now that Robert was dead no one would be able to tell the Volturi where I was anymore. Then again, I also knew that Aro had much more in his arsenal than a disgruntled telepath.

"You should know," I whispered. "That I have traveled with three other covens since my escape. All three of them were destroyed when the Volturi came. I came to Forks because I thought that it was remote enough that the Volturi wouldn't find me. I didn't expect to find seven vampires already living here… I was planning to leave after I saw how many of you there were. I don't want to be the reason that you are destroyed also. You seem like nice people."

The big burly one, Emmett, snorted.

"Obviously you don't know us that well," he said dismissively.

I raised my eyebrows at him but made no reply. I looked back at Edward, feeling suddenly nervous. Would he send me away now to protect his family? A part of me hoped that he would; and yet, there was another part of me that knew that I would rather be killed now than have him send me away.

By the look on Edward's face at that moment, the latter part was about to become very, very happy.

"We'll protect you, Bella," he swore, his expression stormy.

"Um, were you not listening?" I objected. "The Volturi are after me. I don't think you can destroy them as easily as you destroyed Robert."

"Sure we can," Emmett said cheerfully. "I've wanted to try for years!"

Rosalie smacked him on the back of the head and looked back at me, her eyes cautious.

"Maybe we should listen to Bella," she said slowly. "If we got in a fight with the Volturi, there is no way any of us would survive, even Edward and Alice's powers."

"Bella has powers too," Alice pointed out. "If her power is as strong as Aro thinks it is, we might be able to have a chance against them."

"We would still be out numbered," Jasper said quietly. "No matter how many powers we have together, the Volturi have more fighters and more experience."

"Jasper is right," Carlisle agreed. "It would not be prudent to fight with the Volturi. However, perhaps we can make an arrangement where violence isn't needed."

"If the Volturi have already destroyed four covens to get to Bella, they aren't going to leave her alone without a fight," Edward argued.

"Then give the girl to the Volturi," Rosalie said impatiently.

Edward snarled at her, his eyes narrowed in fury. Emmett inched closer to his wife, his eyes never leaving Edward's livid expression. Jasper closed his eyes, his brow furrowing in concentration. Immediately, Edward stopped snarling, although he continued to glare at Rosalie.

"Giving Bella to the Volturi is not an option," he growled. "I'll rip apart any one who tries."

"So dramatic," Rosalie muttered under her breath.

Edward snarled again and made as if to lunge for her but was held back by Alice.

"Enough," Carlisle said wearily. "Rosalie, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from suggesting any plan that involves getting rid of Bella as it upsets Edward and is rude to Bella herself. Edward, we all know that you and Bella are fond of each other, but would you please attempt to control yourself until we have come up with a plan that is beneficial to everyone? Bella, I apologize on behalf of my family for our lapse in manners."

I felt my face burn and I nodded sheepishly, thankful once again that I couldn't blush. Carlisle's words about Edward and I being fond of each other echoed slightly in my ears and I shook myself mentally in a failed attempt to rid my disordered thoughts of the troublesome phrase. There would be plenty of time to reflect on my feelings for Edward later… if there even was a later.

"Um, can I make a suggestion?" I asked timidly.

Carlisle nodded kindly and waited for me to speak.

"Why don't I just go and hide somewhere else before the Volturi track me here?" I offered. "That way, no one has to fight them and I'll still be safe."

Edward stared at me in horror and opened his mouth to object but was interrupted by Alice.

"That wouldn't work very well for you," she said calmly, her eyes slightly blank. "The Volturi will find you wherever you go and take you to Volterra, where they will try and force to join them. You will refuse, of course, which will force Aro to kill you."

I opened my mouth to say something and quickly shut it again with a small shake of my head. Now probably wasn't the best time to argue with a psychic.

"Is there anything that I can do that won't get me killed?" I asked instead.

Alice frowned and searched through my future, her eyes closing as she concentrated.

"I can't see what will happen if you stay with us," she said slowly. "The Volturi don't know where you are at the moment, so I can't see whether or not they will attack us when they find you here."

It was my turn to frown as I digested this new knowledge. I really didn't want to put the Cullens in danger, but I wasn't very eager to die yet either. I looked back at Edward, who was watching me intently. His eyes met mine for a moment before he spoke.

"Please," he said quietly. "At least consider staying with us for a while."

I sighed and looked back at Carlisle, who was also watching me carefully.

"Would it be alright with you and your family if I stayed for a little bit?" I asked resignedly. "At least until I can think of another plan."

Carlisle smiled and nodded, earning a grin from Edward, Alice, and Emmett.

"Yes!" Emmett whooped, his fist pounding the air.

I glanced at him, feeling slightly confused. I didn't know him from my human life, did I? Why was he so excited?

Emmett met my confused gaze with a huge grin.

"Now I can teach you how to play video games," he said cheerfully. "I've been getting tired of playing with Jazz. He keeps cheating."

"Beating you isn't cheating, Emmett," Jasper murmured with a smirk.

I giggled and leaned back into the soft leather of the sofa. Maybe staying with the Cullens wouldn't be that bad.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters! All of the credit belongs to Stephanie Meyer! Also, I am ****so**** sorry for the delay; I had to go on a family trip and there was no time to put up another update before I left. But, I'm back now! Once again, I'm sorry for the delay!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I lightly tapped one of the buttons on the wireless controller, smiling in satisfaction when the large screen of the Cullens' flat screen television was consumed by a virtual explosion. Emmett growled under his breath, his fingers blurring as they flew across the buttons of his own controller. I smiled again and pressed another button, a small laugh breaking through my lips when the screen went black. Several large white letters flashed across the newly blackened screen: "Winner: Player 2".

Emmett snarled and threw the controller towards the Xbox 360 that stood proudly beneath the TV, his eyes narrowing in a glare when Jasper caught the controller inches away from the game console.

"I really don't want to have to buy another Xbox, Emmett," he said wearily. He flashed a grin at me before settling back into his spot next to Alice on the white leather couch.

"I can't believe you beat him, Bella," Edward mused from his place behind me on one of the armchairs. "Emmett usually beats someone once before they get better than him. Are you losing your touch, Em?"

"Oh, shut up, Eddie," Emmett growled, his lips turned down in a pout. "She cheated."

"I did not," I argued, slightly insulted. "I do not cheat. I merely had some practice before hand."

"When?" Emmett demanded, his gold eyes travelling back to Edward. Edward held up his hands and shook his head.

"I didn't teach her," he said hastily. He glanced at me, his eyebrows raised. "Bella? Will you please tell us the name of your teacher?"

I shrugged.

"Seth, Jake, Embry, and Quil once took me to Jake's house to see if I could beat them at video games. Of course, they had to teach me how to play a video game first…"

Emmett snarled at me, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"I lost to a girl who learned from werewolves?" he growled. "That is not fair!"

I laughed and backed away before he could attack me. I glanced up at Edward and felt my smile fade slightly when I saw his thoughtful expression.

"What?" I asked cautiously.

He shrugged.

"I'm just curious as to why the Quileutes trust you but hate us," he said slowly.

I cocked my head and frowned as the new thought occurred to me.

"Maybe it's because there's only one of me and seven of you?" I suggested. "Although," I added quickly. "Not all of the wolves trust me. Sam and Paul only let me hang out around La Push because Seth, Embry, Quil, Jake, and Leah convinced them that I wasn't dangerous, and Leah only supported me because Seth bribed her."

"What did Seth bribe her with?" Emmett asked, forgetting that he was supposed to be annoyed for the moment.

"$200, I think," I said casually.

"To think, vampires can be bought for $200," Jasper chuckled. "I thought that we were at least worth one of Rosalie and Edward's sports cars."

"Well, $200 was all Leah needed to pay off her car," I said. "So, we're technically worth a 2003 Toyota Camry."

"Speaking of money and cars," Alice broke in cheerfully. "How would you like to go shopping with me, Bella?"

"What does shopping have to do with money and cars, Alice?" Edward asked lazily.

"Humans need cars to get to the mall and you need money to buy things," Alice replied. "Besides, Bella still needs to go and get her things out of her apartment, don't you Bella?"

I blinked, slightly stunned. Oh, I had forgotten that Alice could see the future.

"Um, yeah, I was going to go and get my things tonight," I said slowly. "But I don't know where my room is."

Alice chuckled, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Oh, it has all been taken care of, Bella, trust me," she said mysteriously.

"Alice," Edward said sharply. "What are you not showing me?"

Alice giggled and grabbed my arm before running out of the room. I stumbled slightly behind her, my brow furrowed slightly with confusion.

"What-?" I began but was cut off by a look from Alice.

She dragged me into the Cullens' huge garage, not stopping until we had reached the hood of my Lexus. She released her hold on my arm and tripped lightly to the passenger door, her small hand tossing me the keys as she went.

"Come on," she said cheerfully. "The mall is only open for a few more hours."

I sighed and got into my car.

"I won't accomplish anything by arguing with you, will I?" I guessed resignedly.

"Nope!" Alice said happily. "Hurry up and pull out of the garage, though," she added. "I want to make sure Edward can't hear us before you start questioning me."

I frowned but did as she asked. I waited until we were on the freeway before I turned my head to look at the cheerful pixie that was sitting in my passenger seat.

"Um, so, where is my room?" I asked cautiously.

Alice chuckled, her eyes wicked.

"I'm sure Edward wouldn't mind sharing a room with you," she giggled.

I felt my face burn with the ghost of a blush and I frowned.

"Alice," I said, trying to sound stern through my embarrassment. "I don't think that it's polite to assume things about your brother."

Alice snorted.

"I'm a psychic," she said dismissively. "I don't need to assume anything. Trust me; Edward will be more than happy to let you share his room. Besides, Esme and Rosalie have already gone to get the bed and Jazz should be getting Edward out of the house right about now. It will be the perfect surprise."

"So, am I not getting my things, then?" I asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

Alice shook her head.

"Not with that closet," she said darkly. "I've seen your wardrobe, Bella, and there is no way I'm letting my new sister go to school in any of your clothes. Now, a cute Juicy Couture top with designer jeans and Gucci sunglasses on the other hand…"

I sighed and turned back to the road ahead of me, already resigning myself to my fate. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of russet fur between the endless green of the forest, followed by the entreating glance of a pair of liquid black eyes.

I pulled my car over on the side of the road and jumped out of the seat, ignoring Alice's protests. I ran quickly to the tree line and waited for the wolf to make his appearance.

Jacob walked slowly towards me in his human form, his hands still trembling with the remainder of the change.

"What's up, Jake?" I asked, feeling a faint surge of unease in the pit of my stomach.

"The pack was just wondering if you or the Cullens were expecting any company," Jake said carefully, his eyes flashing to where Alice stood beside my car, her arms crossed in front of her baby doll shirt.

I shook my head, my brow creased in a small frown.

"Not that I know of," I said slowly. "Why do you ask?"

"Jared and Paul picked up a new vampire scent on a patrol today," Jacob explained. "They were wondering if it was someone you knew."

I frowned, wondering if they had caught the remains of Robert's scent.

"There was another vampire here a few days ago," I said. "The Cullens and I got rid of him, though. Was he the one-?"

"I'm not talking about the male vampire," Jake interrupted me. "This one is a female. She arrived shortly after the male did."

I froze, feeling panic seep back into my brain. There was another vampire in Forks?

EPOV

I followed Jasper out of the house, my thoughts still focusing on what Alice had said about Bella's new room. What had she been talking about? We didn't have an extra bedroom; and even if we had, I would have noticed if they were preparing it for Bella. Wouldn't I?

I knew, of course, that the only real reason why I was thinking so much about Alice's plans for Bella's room was because I had hoped that Bella would have my room. It was a stupid hope; while my feelings for Bella had never changed, it was foolish to assume that Bella would feel the same way towards me.

"So, Edward," Jasper said casually, interrupting my thoughts. "I suppose Emmett and I will have to stop calling you a bachelor, won't we?"

I glanced at my brother, confusion mixing with embarrassment in my mind.

Jasper smirked.

_Come on, Edward_, he thought sternly. _Even Emmett can see the way you look at Bella._

I felt my skin burn and looked away, grateful for the fact that I couldn't blush.

_You know, I'm sure Bella wouldn't mind sharing your room_, Jasper pointed out. _She would probably love the idea._

I shook my head before the idea could take root in my mind. I would not pressure Bella into a relationship without being sure of her feelings.

_Oh, come on_, Jasper reprimanded me. _You can't honestly tell me that you're completely ignorant of her feelings for you. It doesn't take the gift of empathy to see what's between you two._

I opened my mouth to argue when another vampire ran past us, her vibrant red hair a scarlet streak across the thick green foliage of the forest. Jasper and I froze in place, belatedly sensing the female's thoughts and emotions as she moved farther and farther away.

I caught my breath as her thoughts washed over me, my eyes widening.

The female vampire was Robert's mate.

And she was pissed.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight *sigh* all of the credit belongs to Stephanie Meyer. Also, many thanks to all of the people who reviewed! You guys rock!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

BPOV

"We're home," Alice announced as we walked through the Cullens' front door, the remains of a pout still lingering across her lips.

"Did you buy me anything?" Rosalie asked lazily from her place on the couch. Her gold eyes peered over the top of the fashion magazine she held in her hands, a small frown furrowing her perfect white forehead when she saw our lack of bags.

"No," Alice sighed. "Bella wouldn't let us go to the mall."

"Oh?" Rosalie mused, her gaze shifting to me. "And why is that?"

I shrugged and looked around the room, searching for Carlisle.

"Where is Carlisle?" I asked impatiently.

"He went upstairs to do some work in his study," Rosalie said as she pulled the magazine up to cover her eyes again. "Jazz and Edward are out hunting, by the way," she told me with a mischievous grin. "They should be back soon."

I nodded absently, too preoccupied to care about Edward's whereabouts for the moment. I turned to run up the stairs to Carlisle's study when a sudden thought froze me.

"Edward and Jasper are hunting?" I repeated.

"Yes," Rosalie said. "Emmett and Esme just went out to join them."

Something about my silence must have struck her as odd, because she lowered her magazine again. She frowned once more when she saw the expression on my face and looked over at Alice to see a similar expression in her gold eyes.

"What is it?" she demanded, a small hint of panic working its way into her tone.

"Remember Robert, the vampire who tried to kill me?" I said wearily.

Rosalie nodded slowly, her eyes narrowing slightly at the mention of the vampire.

"Well, he had a friend, and she's here," I said flatly.

I turned and dashed up the stairs before Rosalie could reply, my vampire hearing catching a small rustle as she ran towards the huge window that made up an entire wall of the Cullen's home.

I skidded to a halt outside of Carlisle's study, my hand already folded into a fist so that I could knock on the solid oak door. The door swung open before my fist could connect with the wood, revealing a very concerned Carlisle standing in the entryway.

"I heard," he said before I could regain the power of speech. "Who told you about this new vampire?"

"The wolves," I told him. "Jake caught my attention as Alice and I were driving to the mall. He told me that two of his pack mates picked up her scent today while on patrol."

Carlisle nodded the concern in his eyes increasing with every word I spoke.

"Do you think that this vampire is connected to Robert?" he asked cautiously.

I shuddered at the thought and nodded.

"I think so, even though I really hope that I'm wrong," I whispered.

"Then we are in perfect agreement," Carlisle murmured.

He turned away from me and dashed down the stairs. I followed a few seconds behind him, only to stop as he entered the large kitchen that was connected to the living room and dining room by two large entry ways. He went immediately to a phone that hung on the wall of the kitchen, his fingers almost blurring as they flew across the buttons built into the phone.

"Edward?" he said as soon as someone picked up the phone. "Come home immediately, Bella just-." Carlisle paused as Edward said something, his eyes widening in surprise. "You did? She is? Are Esme and Emmett-?" Edward replied with something else, making Carlisle relax visibly. "Send her home, then," Carlisle said calmly. "Be careful."

Carlisle hung up the phone and turned away, his eyebrows rising in mild surprise when he saw me standing a few feet away.

"Edward and Jasper spotted the female during their hunt," he told me.

"Jazz?" Alice demanded, her dark head appearing suddenly in the room as she ran to my side. "Is he-?"

"Jasper and Edward are both fine, along with Esme and Emmett. Esme is going to be here shortly, while the boys are going to attempt to track down the female."

"Carlisle," I said quietly. "Is this female…?" I let my voice trail off, unable to complete the question.

Carlisle nodded, his brow furrowing briefly with worry.

"Edward confirmed that this new vampire was Robert's mate," he told me gently. "Although he is not sure whether she is connected with the Volturi or not."

"I have to go with them," I said firmly. I felt my eyes narrow when both Alice and Carlisle shook their heads.

"Bella, my brothers and Jasper are perfectly capable of handling this female," Alice assured me, although the worried look in her eyes did little to help my growing panic. "Your helping would only complicate things by distracting Edward."

"But I'm the reason why this female came in the first place," I objected.

"You can't know that," Carlisle said soothingly. "Alice is right, Bella. We need to leave this to Edward, Jasper, and Emmett right now."

I bit my lip and nodded, wishing that I could feel reassured by my new family's words.

I followed Jasper and Emmett through the green labyrinth of the Washington forest, my nostrils flared as I strained to catch the female's scent. I could still sense some of her thoughts from where we were, but they were dimmer now, harder to read. It made me nervous.

_Calm down, Edward, _Jasper thought as we moved forward, his hands clenched into tense fists by his sides. _She isn't anywhere near Bella right now, she's running in the opposite direction._

I didn't answer, but Jasper could feel the waves of stress that were rolling off of me. Whether she was near Bella or not, this female was still too close to Bella for my liking. I wouldn't be able to relax again until we had either chased this vampire to China or burned her body to ashes.

Jasper sighed quietly as he read my emotions and fell back slightly to join Emmett. Emmett wasn't as fast as Jasper and I were; I could feel his irritation coating his thoughts like a blanket. I decided that when we did catch this female, I would let him rip her head off, just to make him happy.

Jasper skidded to a stop behind me, making me stop as well. I glanced back at my brother to see him glaring at the trees to our right.

"She turned around," he said flatly. "She's heading towards the reservation."

A low hiss broke through my lips and I ran towards the female, my lips curling in a snarl. Damn her, she was good. I heard Emmett's low oath from far behind me as he and Jasper struggled to keep up. I ignored them and pushed ahead, my gaze zeroing in on the flash of red hair that had cut through the forest a few feet ahead of me. I could hear the girl's thoughts now. She would loose us on the reservation; pit us against the wolves in a battle to the death. Then, while we were distracted, she would double back to our house and lure Bella away with the knowledge of our fight; and then…

I snarled as I heard the last part of her plan and doubled my speed, the trees around me blurring into a green wall.

The female giggled and jumped lithely to the side to reveal a snarling grey wolf just feet away from me.

I skidded to a stop, my feet freezing in place just inches away from the treaty line. I watched the female jump above me into the trees and fly across the treaty line and growled in frustration.

The wolf growled back, its hackles raised defensively. I glared at it and considered killing the beast for allowing the female to get away. The wolf emitted a loud bark as if it dared me to even think about it. I hissed in return and felt my right foot inch forward…

Another wolf, this one a russet brown, erupted from the trees a few feet away from us, its brown eyes wide with excitement. Behind me, Emmett and Jasper skidded to a halt in the trees. I heard them both hiss as they assessed the situation.

_Edward…_ Jasper warned me.

_Hey, bloodsucker_, the russet wolf interrupted. _Calm down, okay? I really do not want to kill you right now._

I stared at the wolf, feeling a small flash of amusement when the grey wolf growled at it.

_Leave it alone_, the grey wolf whined. _I was about to murder him._

_Over my dead body you will_, the russet wolf growled. _We have a treaty to keep up, Paul, and right now it's still alive. Besides, I don't think Bella would be very happy if I killed her new boyfriend, right bloodsucker?_

I hissed in surprise at the mention of Bella's name, causing both Emmett and the grey wolf to tense.

_Listen, dude_, the russet wolf urged me, his ears pressed flat against his skull with tension. _Just leave the leech chick to us for the moment, okay? We'll do our best in tracking her down. Also, I already told Bella about this vamp so she should be home by now, along with your little pixie sister. So, just chill out for a bit, got it? I __really_ _don't want to have to explain to Bella why I had to dismember her boyfriend, comprende?_

I took a deep breath and released it in a long exhale through my teeth before nodding my agreement to the russet wolf. The wolf nodded back, seeming pleased.

"Tell us when the female comes back onto our lands," I told him.

The grey wolf huffed its displeasure and took off after the female, a howl breaking through its lips. The russet wolf nodded again, its tail wagging a little.

_I need to go with Paul before Quil and Embry have all of the fun_, he barked cheerfully. _Tell Bella that Seth still wants to have that video game tournament at his house after all of this crap is over._

I nodded and felt a small smile tug at the corners of my mouth.

"Perhaps you could have it at our house," I murmured. "My brother seems to think that it is impossible for a werewolf to beat him."

The wolf snorted and took off after Paul, its teeth bared in a challenging snarl.

_We could beat you in our sleep, bloodsucker_, he thought before he disappeared into the thick underbrush.

I chuckled once before turning back to Jasper and Emmett, who were watching me warily.

"Come on," I said quietly. "The others will be worrying."

I hoped that they wouldn't have to worry about anything else.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. All of the credit belongs to Stephanie Meyer. Thanks a million to all of the people who reviewed and read this story! Your comments are both loved and appreciated, so don't hesitate in posting them. Thanks again!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

BPOV

I whirled around at the sound of vampires running, my eyes travelling immediately to the front door as I waited for the others to return.

Alice looked up from her place on the couch, her small face transfigured with relief when Jasper and Emmett walked calmly through the door. She stood up with a small smile and ran to Jasper's side, her eyes sparkling.

Rosalie appeared at the top of the stairs, a small cry of joy breaking through her lips. Without a word, she dashed down the steps and threw herself into Emmett's arms. Emmett laughed and pulled her close for a moment, his eyes closing when she sighed again.

I heard Carlisle chuckle from his place behind me and turned briefly to see him watching the entire scene with barely concealed relief mixed with amusement. Esme smiled at me from her place beside her husband, her white hand clasped in his.

I smiled in return and looked back at Jasper and Emmett as they turned their attentions from their wives.

"Where's Edward?" I asked, trying to keep my rising panic under control.

Emmett frowned, seemingly annoyed about something, and looked away. Jasper hesitated before meeting my gaze, seeming wary about my reaction.

"Edward-," he began but was interrupted by the entrance of the final Cullen.

Edward brushed his windblown bronze hair away from his face and looked around the room with a curious intensity. His gold eyes met mine and he visibly relaxed as a small smile played across his face.

Without any thought as to what the consequences of my actions would be, I dashed across the distance between us like Rosalie had before me and wrapped my arms around him in a bone-crushing hug (at least, it would've been bone crushing if he was human).

Edward stiffened in surprise for a moment before he relaxed once more and pulled me closer to him with a sigh.

I let him hold me for a few moments, feeling as if I were floating in sunlight. Then I remembered that there were other people in the room besides us and I broke away hastily, my skin burning.

Edward looked down at me in confusion, a small tinge of hurt in his eyes. The confusion disappeared as soon as Emmett started laughing.

"Geez, I don't even know why we pay for TV with you two around," he chuckled. "That was better than Rosalie's soap operas."

Rosalie shot him a withering look and whacked him upside the head, making him laugh harder.

I grinned sheepishly and looked back at Edward to see if he was angry with me. The look in his eyes as he looked back was definitely not angry, although I didn't exactly recognize it either.

Alice cleared her throat, making us all turn around to look at her. She flashed me a brilliant smile before looking pointedly at Rosalie and Esme.

"I think we should show Bella her new room before anything else happens," she suggested cheerfully.

"I second that!" Emmett crowed excitedly. "Man, I can't wait to see Eddie's face!"

"What are you talking about?" Edward demanded. His eyes unfocused for a moment and his expression abruptly changed to horror. "You didn't," he croaked.

"We did," Alice giggled. Rosalie moved closer to her sister, a wicked grin twisting her lips.

"Surprise," she snickered.

Edward opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Jasper.

"No complaining," Jasper said sternly. "Trust us; this is for your own good."

Edward glanced at me desperately, his eyes narrowing when he saw the expression on my face.

"You knew?" he guessed.

I shrugged.

"Alice told me all about her devious plan while we were going shopping," I said flatly.

Edward opened his mouth once more, no doubt planning to protest his family's devious plan, but was quickly silenced by Emmett, who then proceeded to drag him upstairs towards his room. I glanced at Alice and Rosalie, saw that they would do the exact same thing to me if I even thought about resisting, and walked after the two boys with a resigned sigh. I heard Alice and Rosalie giggle as they followed me and knew that they were enjoying this. Somehow, that didn't make me feel much better about the whole situation.

Emmett and Edward were waiting outside of the closed door that led to Edward's bedroom. Edward glared at Alice half-heartedly from behind the prison of Emmett's arms and shook his head in exasperation.

"I can't believe this," he muttered.

"Believe it," Alice replied shortly. She walked past us and paused by the door, her hand hovering over the doorknob for dramatic effect.

"This isn't the Oscars, Alice," Edward snapped irritably. "Open the door."

Alice smiled winningly at him and threw open the door before hastily pushing me inside.

I barely had time to glance around at the familiar dusky gold walls and crowded CD shelves, which had now been pushed back slightly to make room for the huge queen-sized bed that now took up the center of the room, before Edward was pushed in after me by an extremely happy Emmett.

"You two have fun in there," he said cheerfully. "And get comfortable, 'cause we're not letting you out until you've gotten a few things taken care of."

"What things?" I demanded, feeling my face burn again.

Emmett chuckled deviously and shut the door. I heard the sounds of something heavy being pushed against the door and wondered vaguely if they actually had something heavy enough to hold two vampires.

Edward growled something under his breath, his eyes burning with fury.

"My piano," he hissed. "I'm going to kill you, Emmett!" he yelled.

I heard the sounds of Emmett's laughter mixed in with more of Alice's giggles before everything went eerily silent. I glanced at Edward, feeling my confusion seep into my expression. He sighed and tried to smile reassuringly.

"They just went downstairs to give us the semblance of privacy," he said, the remains of irritation still present in his tone. "Of course, Alice will see if we try to escape, and Emmett knows that I like my piano too much to smash it."

"You still have a piano?" I asked, wondering why the knowledge made me so relieved.

Edward nodded, seeming a little embarrassed.

"I kept the one that my family owned when they were alive," he said quietly.

He cast one more scorching glare at the closed door before he sat down on the edge of the dull gold comforter, which was just a shade darker than the walls, with a resigned sigh.

I hesitated for a moment before I sat down beside him, careful to keep a small distance between us incase he felt uncomfortable with my presence. Edward noticed and smiled at me.

"I never did get the chance to thank you for my exuberant welcome a few minutes ago," he chuckled. "I don't think I've ever gotten such a welcome."

I felt my skin burn with the ghost of a blush and looked down at the floor, which was now covered with a black throw rug.

"I'm sorry," I whispered sheepishly. "I just- I missed you." I felt the burning on my skin increase and wondered if it was possible for a vampire to blush scarlet.

Edward frowned and gently reached out to move my chin up so that I could meet his gaze.

"You don't have to be sorry," he murmured. "I missed you too," he added softly.

I forced a small smile, feeling my eyes burn with unshed tears.

"I wish that I had known that you were a vampire," I sighed. "Then I wouldn't have let Robert take me; I would have looked for you so that you could change me."

Edward frowned, seeming confused.

"What are you talking about?" he asked cautiously.

"Robert found me when I was visiting your house," I explained quietly. "He told me that you had died before he grabbed me. I had considered screaming at the time but… there didn't seem to be much of a point. Not when you were-." I stopped speaking, suddenly afraid that he would think that I was pathetic.

Edward's horrified expression did little to dismiss that fear.

"You allowed that-that demon to take you without a fight because you thought that I was dead?" he gasped.

I nodded numbly, feeling immensely foolish.

"I didn't see the point in fighting for a life without you," I mumbled, half hoping that he wouldn't hear me. It was a foolish hope, of course he heard me.

Edward grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and shook me slightly, his expression furious.

"Bella," he growled. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? If I hadn't accidentally scared him, you would have died."

"I didn't care, I don't care," I said stubbornly, feeling my heart drop a little when I saw the fury in his eyes.

"How could you not care about your own life?" he snarled. "How could you be so stupid, Bella?"

"I'm sorry," I choked, feeling my eyes burn again with tears.

Edward sighed heavily and wrapped his arms around me. He pulled me into his lap and let me rest my head against his shoulder as he rubbed small circles in my back.

"I apologize for my outburst," he murmured gently. "It was uncalled for. It's just… I went through so much pain because I thought that you were dead, Bella. Even on the day when we met in that horrid Biology class, I was still suffering. I never got over you, and to learn now that all of that pain could have been prevented… and to learn that it was all caused because of me… I couldn't handle it."

"Did I really mean that much to you?" I whispered.

"Of course," he replied, slightly impatient. "I love you, Bella. I always have, and I still do. Nothing can or will change that, not even the Volturi. I'm just sorry that it took so long for me to admit it," he added in a whisper.

"It didn't take you that long," I corrected him with a small smile. "You told me that you loved me a few months before either of us knew about vampires. Do you remember?"

Edward chuckled and nodded.

"I believe that that was the day you tripped over someone's hat and fell into a lake, Miss Swan," he murmured.

"And you jumped in to rescue me, Mr. Mason," I giggled.

Edward laughed and pulled me closer, his lips pressing against my forehead. I shivered slightly and looked up, meeting his lips with my own as he pulled away.

Edward broke away after a few moments, his gold eyes narrowing as he looked towards the door.

"Are you going to let us out now, Emmett?" he asked lightly.

I heard Emmett groan from downstairs.

"No fair!" he yelled. "I wanted to keep you two in there for at least a day!"

"Pay up," Jasper said calmly.

I laughed and stood up, my hand entwined firmly in Edward's.

"I love you," I told him in a whisper as we walked towards the door.

He smiled down at me, his eyes sparkling.

"I know," he murmured.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Thanks again to all of the people who have reviewed and read this story! Your feedback and your enthusiasm is always appreciated!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

BPOV

I slipped stealthily into my English class, trying to avoid being noticed by Mr. Brennon. His back was turned towards me as he wrote on some more notes on Romeo and Juliet on the blackboard, so I figured that I had a good chance of making it to my seat unnoticed.

I saw Jasper giving me an amused glance from the back of the room, his blonde eyebrows disappearing into his honey hair as he raised them in mock severity. I stuck my tongue out at him and hastily skirted around Jessica Stanley's chair as she attempted to trip me with it. I ignored her disappointed scowl and slid into my seat with a quiet sigh of relief.

"Running a little late, aren't we?" Jasper murmured, too low for humans to hear.

"Shut up, Jazz," I hissed back, my face burning. It wasn't technically my fault that Jake and Seth felt more comfortable giving their reports of the female vampire to me instead of the other Cullens, although they could have picked a better time.

Jasper frowned slightly, sensing my tension as I thought again of the female vampire. Even though the wolves had assured us that they would let us know whenever the female came near us or left the area, I couldn't help but think that they were missing something important about the female, something that would definitely get all of us into major trouble with the Volturi.

Seeing the concern in Jasper's expression, I forced a small smile in his direction and focused my attentions on Mr. Brennon as he turned back to the class. He frowned slightly when he noticed me but made no comment on my sudden appearance in his class.

I let out a sigh of relief when the bell rang and made to run towards my next class. Jessica Stanley and her friend Lauren blocked my way, their faces set in twin expressions of disgust. I repressed a groan and tried to find a way to get around them without 'accidentally' knocking them both into a wall.

Lauren sneered at me and took a step closer, the sharp scent of her blood making me wince. Perhaps I should have gone hunting with Alice yesterday.

"What's the matter, Swan, did you oversleep?" she asked.

"Why does it matter to you?" I shot back, already tired of the conversation.

"Don't think we don't know what you're doing," Jessica broke in angrily.

"Oh? Well then, can you tell me what I'm doing already because I really need to get to Government," I said wearily. Mr. Jefferson would kill me if I was late again…

"Please, you think that everyone doesn't know?" Jessica sneered. "Hanging out with the Cullens, getting cozy with Edward, it's obvious that you're trying to make yourself better than everyone else."

"Wow, you've got me there, Stanley," I said sarcastically. "I can't hide my master plans from you."

"Just stay away from Edward, you little slut," Lauren snarled. "He's mine, and you're only making yourself look pathetic when you try and change that."

"Is there a problem here?"

I suppressed a smirk as Lauren and Jessica whirled around to face Jasper, who had been watching the entire exchange with an amused smile on his face. My smirk fought harder to make its appearance when I saw Alice and Edward close by, their faces turned towards Lauren and Jessica with cool disgust.

"Uh, um, I-no," Jessica stuttered. Lauren simply shook her head speechlessly.

"Then I suggest you get to your next class," Alice said cheerfully as she skipped to her husband's side. "Edward doesn't like it when people call his girlfriend a slut."

Edward nodded coolly, his eyes hardening as he looked at the two human girls.

Lauren gulped and motioned hastily for Jessica to follow her. They both shot me withering looks before running off towards their next class.

Jasper waited until they had disappeared around the corner of the school before he allowed his discomfort to show.

"Sorry about that," I said sheepishly.

Jasper shook his head and waved away my apologies.

"It's no big deal," he said hastily. "It's getting easier to ignore their scent when they're so annoying."

Alice smiled proudly at him and grabbed my arm.

"Come on," she said impatiently. "We don't want Mr. Jefferson to kill you, now do we?"

"How can he kill a vampire, Alice?" Edward inquired, a small smile playing across his face.

"It's a figure of speech, Edward. Don't you listen in English class?"

"No, not really," he replied lazily. He shot me a brilliant smile before heading towards his own class, his hands resting casually in the pockets of his jeans. I watched him go with a small twinge of pain. I hated watching him walk away from me, even if it was only for a few class periods.

"Hey, no moping Bella," Alice said sharply. "You can see him as much as you want after school."

I brightened up at the thought and walked quickly towards Government, wondering what would happen if my teacher actually did try to kill me…

She watched the vampire called Bella walk out of the miserable excuse for a school, her lip curling in disgust when she saw the girl holding the hand of the bronze-haired Cullen, Edward. How dare that bitch enjoy the company of a man when she, Victoria, could never enjoy anything again? How dare that Bella be happy when she had destroyed Victoria's only happiness?

Robert… Victoria's dead heart wrenched at the thought of him, now a thin film of ashes being blown across the forest floor. She should never have let him go alone; after all, she had known that he would try and kill the girl himself. She should have stopped him… But it was too late now. Too late for him.

Victoria snarled once more at Bella as she watched her get into a shiny silver car with Edward and two of his siblings. There was no way to get her revenge on the girl now, but she would. Her masters had assured her of that fact.

"Don't worry, Robert," she whispered to the wind. "The wretch will pay soon. They will all pay eventually."

She heard the howls of the insufferable wolves down below and her lip curled. First things first, she needed to take care of those filthy mutts…

"I can't believe you're beating me," Emmett snarled as he furiously hit one of the buttons on his controller.

"Believe it, bloodsucker," Jacob crowed. "I'm so kicking your butt!"

Emmett snarled a thin stream of profanity, his eyes flickering towards the stairs in case Esme came down and heard him. He pressed another button on the controller, his face brightening when a large explosion erupted on the screen.

"Ha! Take that, fur ball!" he howled in triumph.

Jacob's eyes narrowed and he refocused on the screen, his mouth tightening into a thin line. He shot a glance towards my side of the screen and sighed in exasperation.

"You're not even trying, Bella," he groaned, his fingers blurring across the buttons of the controller.

"I'm honestly afraid that if I do try, I'm going to have a furious vampire and an angry werewolf on my hands," I said honestly. "It's bad enough dealing with you two separately; there's no way I want to get on your bad side when you're both together."

"True," Emmett remarked as he caused another explosion. "I am very intimidating."

"And what am I, Marble-Man? Chopped liver?" Jake shot back. "Don't answer that," he added hastily as Emmett opened his mouth to reply.

I heard Edward chuckle and leaned back to rest my head against his legs. He smiled and reached down to brush his hands through my hair.

"You know, you could sit up here," he reminded me, gesturing towards the vacant side of the couch.

I shrugged.

"I like this arrangement better," I said honestly.

He chuckled again and brushed his fingers along my jaw line, making my breathing hitch.

Emmett scowled at me as another explosion erupted on the screen.

"Aw, come on!" he snarled. "How can you still beat me when he's being all Mr. Romantic on you?"

"Is that why you got us together, Emmett?" Edward asked calmly. "You wanted to beat Bella at video games?"

Emmett opened his mouth and shut it quickly as he turned back to the TV screen.

Jacob laughed at my new brother's discomfort, although his laugh cut off as a distant howl echoed through the trees. He sighed in resignation and stood up, tossing the controller at a waiting Jasper as he went.

"That would be Sam," he told us. "They must have seen the female again."

I felt Edward tense behind me and reached up to grab his hand. He relaxed slightly in response to my touch, although his eyes remained hard with worry.

"You'll be sure to tell us if anything happens?" he said pointedly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Jake replied, his eyes focused on the area where the howl had come from. "I'll call you guys when I get back from whatever the heck this is."

"Make sure to come back so that I can finish beating you," Emmett called, his eyes zeroed in on the screen as he attempted to defeat Jasper. I felt my controller vibrate and figured that I had probably been killed again. I honestly couldn't bring myself to care.

"In your dreams, bloodsucker," Jake laughed. He called a good-bye to Carlisle and Esme upstairs before darting out of the door, his hands already shaking as he prepared to change.

"I wonder if it's anything serious today," Rosalie mused from her place on the armchair.

Edward shrugged his shoulders still tense. He glanced once at Alice, who shook her head.

"We'll find out sometime tonight, I'm sure," Carlisle said soothingly as he entered the room. "Jacob and Seth are usually very good with keeping their promises."

I exchanged a glance with Alice and knew that I wasn't the only one who was hoping that the wolves would break their promise this time.

JakePOV

I ran through the thick trees of the forest, feeling a familiar sense of freedom as my paws beat against the packed earth. I could feel Quil and Embry running in formation behind me, and sensed that Sam, Jared, and Paul were nearby. Seth and Leah had picked up the female's scent while on patrol; it had been Seth's howl that had alerted me at the Cullen's house. I felt a small twinge of guilt for leaving him and his sister alone with a vamp on the loose. Neither one of them was very experienced…

_Okay, you were cute for the first five minutes but now you're getting to be insulting_, Leah said snidely. _Give me a break, Jake, I can handle myself._

_So can I_, Seth added stubbornly.

_Heads in the game, guys_, Sam reminded us curtly, his eyes narrowing as he caught the vampire's scent.

_She went into the trees above us_, Leah reported, holding back the pain she felt at hearing Sam's voice. _I don't know if she will- oh shit!_

_Leah?_ Sam barked tersely, his tail twitching slightly in concern.

Leah snarled in reply, her thoughts wordless fear and adrenaline. Seth howled a warning, his thoughts turning to silent concern for his sister as his wolf instincts kicked in. I saw the female lunge from the trees above in their thoughts and put on another burst of speed, Quil and Embry struggling to keep up. Sam howled a warning and tried to catch up with me, but I was too fast. I burst through a curtain of trees, searching for my packmates and the vampire.

A low hiss made me look up. A low whine broke from Quil's throat and he took a step back, his eyes wide with fear.

_Oh shit_, I thought with a vague sense of terror.

Then I blacked out.

**Haha, sorry about that, I was just in the mood for a cliff hanger. Also, obviously I do not own Twilight or any of the characters in it. And thanks are of course due to all of the amazing people who read and review my work. You guys are amazing!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

BPOV

I lay back on the dusky gold comforter of the bed, reveling in the feeling of the soft fabric beneath my skin, and smiled at the ceiling.

"Clair de Lune, by Debussy," I said confidently as a few strains of music wafted through the air of Edward's bedroom.

Edward chuckled from his place beside me and darted towards the stereo to cut off the music.

"You have a good memory, Miss Swan," he murmured in my ear as he settled himself beside me once more.

"Your choices aren't exactly challenging, Mr. Mason," I teased back. "Any one who grew up when we did would be able to recognize Debussy and Mozart."

"On the contrary, Miss Swan, I think it's just you," Edward whispered.

I shivered slightly and moved closer, the edge of my arm pressing against his. Edward chuckled and turned his head to the side, his lips searching for mine as we leaned towards each other…

A frantic howl pierced the air, causing both of us to tense. Edward shot up straight, his dark gold eyes distant as he listened to someone.

"No," he gasped.

Before I could ask what he meant, Edward had grabbed my hand and was pulling me down the staircase into the Cullen's living room. Alice, Jasper, and Carlisle were already there, their faces set in matching expressions of fear.

"Where are Rosalie, Emmett and Esme?" I asked slowly, feeling a sharp feeling of unease coil inside of me.

"They went hunting," Carlisle replied, his jaw tightening at the mention of his wife. I saw Jasper wince and immediately felt the unease grow.

"What was the howl about?" Alice demanded, her small frame pressed tightly against Jasper's in an effort to comfort him.

"The wolves found the female," Edward explained tersely. He led me to the unoccupied couch and sat down beside me, his expression grim. "Something went wrong."

"What?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly. If anything had happened to the wolves because of me…

"I'm not sure," Edward admitted. "I think it was an ambush, but I don't understand. They should have been more than a match for her…"

Edward tensed suddenly, his eyes focusing on the trees that were visible from the large window that made up an entire wall of the Cullen house. Jasper turned as well, his expression twisting slightly in pain.

A white form darted out of the trees, her brown hair spread behind her like a curtain as she raced towards the door, something large clutched in her arms.

"Esme!" Carlisle exclaimed with relief. He rushed to the door as she entered, his hands reaching up to stroke her cheek for a moment before he took the shaking wolf from her arms.

I felt my heart sink to my stomach when I saw the wolf's silver-grey coat. Leah.

Jasper cried out in sudden pain and doubled over, his face twisted in agony as he shared whatever the wolf was going through. I cast a panicked look at Edward and saw that his expression mirrored that of his brother, although the effect seemed weaker on him.

"She was bitten," he told Carlisle tightly.

I gasped and heard Alice echo my small sound of horror. Vampire venom was poisonous to werewolves, and if Leah had been bitten…

"Can you save her?" Alice asked, her eyes wide with pity and fear.

Carlisle frowned and thought for a moment. Almost absently, he took Leah out of Esme's arms and carried her to the couch that Edward and I sat on. We got up hastily to make room and watched as he gently laid the trembling wolf on the white cushions.

"I might be able to," he said slowly. "In theory, it would be like sucking rattlesnake venom from a wound…"

"Whatever you're going to do, you need to try it soon," Edward told him. "I don't know how much longer she can make it."

Carlisle nodded and gingerly took one of Leah's paws in his hand. He hesitated for a brief moment before he bit her, his face twisted in concentration as he sucked the venom out.

"Rose and Emmett are coming with more of the wolves," Esme told us quietly, her gold eyes focused on Leah. "There are a few of them with broken bones, but nothing too serious."

"We'll go and help them get the others back here," Alice said quickly, nodding to Edward.

Jasper looked up at her, his mouth opening slightly to object.

"Jazz, you're in enough pain as it is," Alice said impatiently. "Do you really want to go through more of it?"

Jasper sighed in defeat and pressed the tips of his fingers against his temples as he tried to ignore Leah's pain.

"I'll go too," I said quickly.

Edward looked like he was about to protest but quickly reconsidered when Alice and I glared at him.

"Stay close to me," he muttered.

I nodded and followed him and Alice out of the Cullen house. Edward pulled back and allowed Alice to lead the way, his eyes flickering between the trees with an intensity that frightened me.

"Do you think she'll attack us?" I mouthed, knowing he would understand me.

Edward shrugged, his eyes narrowing in disgust.

"I wouldn't put it past her," he growled.

I gulped and reached out to take his hand as we ran through the forest. Edward flashed me a small smile before putting on another burst of speed as the scent of the wolves wafted towards us.

I bit my lip when I heard a few whimpers of pain from up ahead, feeling another surge of guilt. This was all my fault…

Rosalie and Emmett looked up with relief when we reached them. Both of them were holding wolves that seemed to have broken bones. I recognized the russet one in Emmett's arms as Jake and felt my heart twist in pain. The other wolf, the one in Rosalie's arms, had a dark chocolate coat, which made me think that it was Quil.

"We'll take them back to Carlisle and Esme," Rosalie said as soon as we had stopped. "There are two others who are wounded, so you'll need to carry them but the others should be able to follow you."

"Who are the other injured ones?" I demanded, feeling a fresh surge of guilt.

"Paul and Brady," a flat voice said from behind me. I turned to see Sam in his human form. He nodded once in greeting before looking back at his pack, his eyes glittering with pain.

Edward and Alice nodded and ran to take care of the other injured wolves, leaving me alone with Sam.

"Sam, I'm so sorry," I began.

"It's not your fault," he said hastily, cutting me off mid-sentence. "We would have gone after the female even if she hadn't been after you. Your involvement just made my pack more determined to catch her."

"I wasn't under the impression that a lot of your brothers liked me," I admitted.

Sam raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

"Paul isn't very fond of you, it's true," he allowed. "But then again he isn't that fond of anybody. Personally, I never minded you. You're very human for a vampire."

"Thank you?" I replied, not sure if I should take his words as a compliment.

Sam smiled thinly at me.

"You're welcome," he returned.

"Bella?"

I turned at the sound of Seth's voice, my heart twisting again. His russet skin glistened with tears as he came towards us, and his black eyes were wide with fear.

"Where's Leah?" he asked. "Is she alright?"

"Carlisle is trying to save her," Edward said as he passed by, Paul's wolf held tightly in his arms. Paul snarled up at him, obviously displeased by the fact that a vampire had to carry him. Edward smirked back and took off into the trees.

Seth watched them go, his mouth trembling.

"Will she be okay?" he asked in a small voice.

"Carlisle will do everything he can for her," I said carefully, not wanting to get the kid's hopes up.

Seth nodded bravely, his jaw tightening in an attempt to keep his emotions under control.

"Can I go and see her?" he whispered.

"I'll take you there," I promised. Then I hesitated and looked back at Sam. As the Alpha, it was his call to decide whether Seth could go or not.

Sam nodded, his eyes focused on Seth.

"I need to get the rest of my brothers back to the tribe in case the vampire attacks again," he told me. "Seth can go with you, but I need the rest of my pack with me."

One of the three remaining wolves whimpered slightly, his ears pressed against his skull.

"You can check on Jacob and Quil tomorrow, Embry," Sam said firmly. "I need everyone that I can get now. Besides, your mother will be worried."

Embry sighed heavily and retreated, although his ears were still pressed tightly against his skull.

"I will make sure to tell your mother where you are," Sam told Seth gently. He nodded to me once more before disappearing into the woods to change. The other wolves followed him, although Embry paused for a moment. He looked at me with black eyes filled with pain and growled softly.

"I'll take care of them," I promised.

Embry nodded and wagged his tail slightly before he disappeared into the trees once more.

I turned back to Seth and raised my eyebrows at him.

"Do you want me to carry you, or do you want to run?" I asked him, a small smile forcing its way onto my lips.

Seth smiled back, his eyes still wet.

"Let's see, run or get carried by a hot vampire girl; which one should I choose?" he choked.

I laughed and picked up the werewolf before he could protest.

"My way is quicker," I said, already running back to the house.

"Hey, werewolves can be very fast," he objected weakly.

"We'll have a race later," I promised.

"Jake and I will make you eat our dust," Seth promised.

"Silly werewolf, vampires can't eat," I teased, trying to ignore the ache in my chest at the mention of my other wolf friend.

Why couldn't I ever go anywhere without causing people pain?

EPOV

I paced restlessly in front of the door that led to my house, trying to ignore the barks and howls of pain coming from the wolves inside. Carlisle was going to be very busy tonight.

I felt a small twinge of guilt at not helping him, seeing as I was the second most qualified in my family, but I knew he understood. I couldn't help anyone until I knew that Bella was safe.

I felt the breath fly out of me in a sigh of relief when I saw he pale form dart out of the trees, a young boy in her arms. She smiled slightly when she saw me, although I noticed that the smile didn't reach her eyes. I frowned, making a mental note to ask Jasper what she was feeling when he recovered from all of the pain.

Bella released the boy a few feet from the doorstep, allowing him to walk the remaining steps on his own.

"Your sister is fine," I told him before he could ask, not needing to be a telepath to know where his thoughts were. "She's in the living room."

The boy smiled at me in thanks and ran in, his relief almost painful when he saw his sister.

Bella watched him go, her mouth twisting slightly.

"Are you alright?" I asked her, concern mixing with fear in my tone.

She shrugged and allowed me to pull her close in an embrace.

"This is my fault," she whispered into my shoulder.

I felt fury rise inside of me at the immense sadness in her tone and knew that if the Volturi came for her at this instant, I would kill them all.

"It's not your fault," I assured her.

"Yes, it is," she insisted, drawing back slightly so that she could look at me. "I'm the one who brought Robert here in the first place. I'm the reason his mate is so upset. Everything that happened to these wolves is my fault."

"But nothing happened," I said soothingly. "Rosalie, Emmett, and Esme found them before anything permanent could be done to them."

It was the wrong thing to say, I saw the pain flash across her eyes.

"And what if something had happened to them?" she demanded. "Do you think that I could be okay with that? If anything happens to your family, it's on my conscience, Edward. It would be better if I just went away."

"Better for whom?" I growled. "No one wants you to go away, Bella."

"What does it matter if no one wants me to go away?" she snarled. "It won't matter if they all die. I have to go away, no matter how much you don't want me to."

"I won't let you kill yourself over us," I hissed.

"You can't control me," she growled back. "This isn't 1918 anymore, Edward. I will do what I want."

She broke away from my grip and ran into the house, being careful not to slam the door behind her. I watched her go just as she had watched the boy and felt a small crack appear on the surface of my heart. It was as if it was already preparing to break.

**Just throwing this out there: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters (although like most people, I wish that I did). Special thanks and brownies go to all of the people who read and reviewed! You guys rock!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

BPOV

Jake smiled wearily at me from his place on the armchair, his bandaged leg resting gingerly on the coffee table in front of him.

"Hey Bella," he greeted me cheerfully. "Have a nice night?"

I forced myself to smile back, although every nerve in my body wanted me to cry.

"It was alright," I mumbled. "How was yours?"

Jacob shrugged, only a small wince flickering across his features as the movement jolted already sore muscles in his shoulders.

"It was okay." His black eyes watched my expression carefully as I went to sit down on the couch beside his chair, being careful to avoid Seth's sleeping form on the cushions beside me.

Leah smiled tentatively at me from her spot on the second couch, her brown skin still pale from the effects of the venom.

I smiled back, noting absently that the expression seemed to be getting harder as time went on.

Jake frowned.

"Hey," he whispered. "Is everything okay?"

I shrugged and looked away, not really in the mood to go through my fight with Edward. I felt terrible for saying such hurtful things to him, and I wished that I had the guts to go up to his room and apologize, but I just couldn't. Everything that had happened last night was my fault and I didn't deserve forgiveness, especially not from someone as amazing as Edward.

"Did you and Edward make up yet?" Jacob asked cautiously.

I glanced at him in surprise.

"How did you know about the fight?" I whispered back.

"We heard it," Leah said simply. "We have better hearing than the average human, you know."

I felt my skin burn with the ghost of a blush and looked down, embarrassed.

"I only started listening in at the middle of it," Jake said quietly. "Carlisle was re-breaking my bones so that they would set right and I needed a distraction… You two are more entertaining than a soap opera."

"I feel like a soap opera sometimes," I muttered darkly.

"You guys weren't fighting because of us, were you?" Leah asked quietly.

"No, of course not," I assured her quickly, feeling slightly shocked by her concern. I wasn't aware that Leah cared about my love life that much.

"Then why aren't you two up there being all lovey dovey?" Jake asked sternly.

I shrugged and looked down at the crisp white carpet that covered the floor.

"I don't know if I can do that anymore," I mumbled.

"Why?" Jake persisted, seeming confused. "Did you find some other guy to make out with?"

Leah shot him a withering look.

"I'm sure that's not the case, Jacob," she hissed. "Right?" she said, turning to me.

I nodded.

"I don't think that I'll ever find someone else," I mused. "I think that, for vampires, it's a one time thing."

"Wish it was that way for us," Leah muttered darkly.

"But, we have imprinting, don't we?" Jake asked, confused.

"Yeah, but you have to find the imprint first," Leah snapped. "Until then, you can crush on every boy you set your sights on if you want to."

"Okay," Jake said slowly. He turned back to me, seeming eager to get rid of the subject. "So, if you still like the guy, why can't you go and make up?"

I shook my head, mentally asking myself the same question. Sure, it would be easier for my mental and emotional health if I simply walked up the stairs and apologized to Edward. I knew that he would forgive me in a heartbeat, knew that he had probably already forgiven me for the things I said. And yet… I also knew that if I went back into Edward's arms, I would never be able to make myself leave, even if it meant his death. And I couldn't let Edward die, no matter what it cost me.

"Bella?" Jake's voice jolted me out of my thoughts, reminding me that there were others in the room with me.

"Hmm?" I said absently, a plan already forming in my mind. Almost as an after thought, I put my mental shield around the three wolves, effectively hiding their thoughts from Edward. I couldn't take the chance of them figuring my plan out and alerting Edward. It would be hard enough hiding it from Alice.

"You never answered my question. Why can't you go and make up with Edward?" he pressed.

"I don't think she can, Jacob," Leah said softly, her dark eyes on mine. I met her gaze for a second and saw a tiny flash of pity and admiration. She knew what I was going to do, it was the same thing she would have done if she had been in my position. I just hoped that Rose, Alice, and Esme would be as understanding.

"You guys need to get some rest, okay?" I said hastily, already heading towards the door. "I don't want Carlisle to scold me for interfering with your recovery."

Leah nodded, her eyes still pitying. I made a mental note to keep the shield on her and Jake until they left the house later in the day.

"Make sure to check in later, okay?" Jacob called after me. "I don't want to miss saying good-bye before Embry drags me off to La Push."

I felt my heart jump into my throat and wondered if Jake had figured my plan out too. Then I remembered that he and Billy were going to see Jacob's sister, Rebecca, in Hawaii for a week and relaxed.

"Of course I'll be back later," I assured him. "I need to make sure you bring me something back from Honolulu."

"What makes you think I'll get a vampire a souvenir from Hawaii?" he shot back.

"I'll give you twenty bucks."

"I'll see what I can do," he said quickly, his eyes lighting up at the prospect of more spending money. I made another mental note to give him forty dollars instead of twenty. After all, money wouldn't really matter soon.

I shuddered and pushed the thought away as I walked out of the door. I cast a quick look around at the trees that were still shadowed by the remnants of last night and felt my throat burn with the thirst. I would need to hunt later.

EPOV

I listened in on the Bella's conversation with the wolves, feeling slightly guilty for eavesdropping. Then again, what else could I do? I couldn't read Bella's thoughts, she hadn't said a word to me since our argument last night, Jasper was still recovering from the wolves' pain, and Alice couldn't see the future around the wolves. I was running out of options.

"… Did you find some other guy to make out with?" Jacob Black asked, his thoughts confused. I winced at his words and listened intently, the cracks in my heart widening slightly at the thought of Bella with another man.

"I'm sure that's not the case, Jacob," Leah broke in. _It had better not be the case, I'm just starting to like this chick_, she added mentally. "Right?" she appealed to Bella.

"I don't think that I'll ever find someone else," Bella mused, the sound of her voice making my heart ache and relax at the same time. "I think that, for vampires, it's a one time thing."

I felt Leah's relief mix with my own, although I detected a small amount of envy among the relief. I listened into the rest of the conversation, making sure to watch Bella carefully through Jacob and Leah's thoughts. I tried to avoid Seth's thoughts, as he was dreaming of vampire rabbits at the moment.

_Geez, I didn't even know that vampires could zone out_, Jacob thought irritably as he waited for Bella to answer his last question. _Why can't she just answer my question? Or, better yet, why can't she and Edward just-_.

I jolted upright in bed as Leah, Jacob, and Seth's thoughts all disappeared. I reached out for the thoughts once more, trying to detect anything. I found nothing.

I frowned, guessing who was responsible for the block.

"Bella," I sighed.

I ran out of my room, being careful not to alert Bella or the wolves, and paused briefly by Alice's door.

_Come in_, she thought the second I paused.

I opened the door as quietly as possible and slipped into Alice and Jasper's room, feeling slightly self-conscious.

Alice and Jasper were both perched on the edge of their bed, their darkening gold eyes watching me expectantly. Alice's head rested gently on Jasper's shoulder, and their hands were intertwined in her lap as he leaned towards her.

_Are you alright?_ Jasper asked, reading the pain, suspicion, and fear that seemed to have become permanent residents in my psyche.

"Bella just used her shield to block out the wolves' thoughts," I explained hastily. "I think she might be hiding something."

Jasper frowned, his focus travelling towards where ever Bella was in the house.

_Guilt…Pain… Fear…Determination…Hunger_, he listed in his mind. _I think she's mostly thirsty right now_, he reported.

"I don't see her trying anything unusual," Alice added. "She's going to hunt after the wolves leave, but I can't see anything-."

Alice gasped as a new vision came to her. We both watched as Bella ran through the trees after a mountain lion, her brow furrowed in concentration. She turned away from her prey as something appeared in the trees behind her… then the vision went black.

I felt a lump form in my throat and saw Jasper wince as my pain and fear grew.

"What does it mean?" I asked, barely able to speak.

Alice shook her head, her expression annoyed.

"There was more," she hissed. "I know there was more to that vision. Why did it just cut off like that?"

"Maybe Bella changed her mind?" Jasper suggested eager to ease some of our panic.

Alice shook her head, still irritated.

"That wasn't completely Bella," she said quietly. "Bella's decision to go hunting is only half of the vision. The part that I can't see… that's the part that belongs to someone else's decision."

"Whose?" I demanded.

"I don't know."

BPOV

"Are you sure you want to give me this?" Jacob asked, his eyes wide with awe as he looked at the two twenty dollar bills in his hand.

I shrugged.

"Neither of us know how expensive things are in Hawaii," I pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess, but still…" Jake's voice trailed off as he looked up at me, his expression doubtful.

"Just take it, okay Jake?" I insisted. "Buy yourself something cool."

Jacob shrugged and put the bills gently in the pocket of his jeans.

"Alright," he conceded.

"Geez Jake, take me along next time, will ya?" Quil teased. "I could use forty bucks."

"So could I, nimrod," Embry shot back. "And we all know Jake likes me best."

"He does not!" Quil growled indignantly. "You don't, do you Jake?" he added in a pleading voice.

"I don't know why you even bother," Seth said lazily. "We all know he likes me better."

I laughed and shook my head in mock exasperation.

"Boys," Leah sighed, echoing my thoughts. She smiled at me again before walking over the treaty line to join the others. "Make sure to stop by my place and say hi sometime, okay?" she called back to me.

I nodded, feeling another flash of relief that I had agreed to go with the wolves to La Push. It would definitely give me a head start on my 'hunting trip'.

"Thanks again, Bella," Sam called from the other side of the treaty line.

"Yeah, thanks," Paul muttered.

I smiled at them and waved before turning away and running into the trees, hoping desperately that Alice still couldn't see me.

**Okay, I still do not own Twilight or any of the characters in it. *Sigh* Thanks once again to all of the awesome people who read and reviewed my story!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

EPOV

"She's running," Alice gasped, her head snapping up as she looked towards the woods that Bella was now running through.

I leapt off of the armchair that the wolves had only recently vacated and ran toward the door, only to be held back by Jasper.

"Hang on, Edward," he said soothingly. "You didn't let Alice finish."

I glanced at my favorite sister, trying to read her thoughts as fast as possible so that I could go after Bella.

_Edward, dude, you're going to give me a panic attack_, Jasper added mentally. _Seriously, just listen to Alice for a minute._

"No, Jazz, he needs to go," Alice urged him, her eyes widening in fear. _Edward, the female vampire-._

I didn't allow her thoughts to finish before I broke free of Jasper's grip and ran towards the door. I heard Jasper grumble something that Esme did not approve of before he ran after me, Emmett and Alice close behind him. After a few moments of hesitation, Rosalie followed her husband, her thoughts a mixture of irritation and concern.

_How many times are we going to have to chase Bella before she realizes that we're not going to let her go?_ she wondered mentally.

I ignored the thoughts of my family, my entire being focused on whatever part of the forest that Bella was in.

BPOV

I ran through the trees, wondering how much longer I could run before Alice saw me. I tried to keep my thoughts focused on hunting, hoping desperately that she wouldn't see my true intentions. I knew that none of the Cullens would approve of my plan, but I couldn't see any alternative besides letting them die; and I would not let them die.

The thought of what would happen to the Cullens if my plan failed made me run faster, even though the memory of my last conversation with Edward struggled to make me turn back.

_No one wants you to go away._

I shoved Edward's words out of my mind and put on another burst of speed, noting vaguely that this was the fastest I had run since I was a newborn.

My thoughts flew away from the family that I was leaving behind as the scent of mountain lion reached me from up ahead.

I raced towards the scent, the venom building up in my mouth as I thought of satiating my thirst. I paused at the foot of a tree, letting my instincts take over, and glanced up through the branches at the predator that was crouching in the branches above, its attention focused entirely on some lesser form of animal a few feet away.

I leaped soundlessly into the tree, careful to keep away from the branch that held the feline. I didn't want to have to waste time tracking it down; my time was limited as it was.

The lion turned on me as I landed on the branch above it, its lips pulling back from its teeth in a snarl as it sensed my presence. I hissed back and leapt onto the animal's back, my teeth sinking easily into its flesh.

The cat writhed beneath me for a few moments, trying to get free of my grip, before it collapsed as the blood was drained from its veins.

I straightened up from my prey, my hand going automatically to my mouth to wipe away the few specks of blood that remained. I gently gathered the lion's carcass into my arms and jumped down to the ground, laying the fallen beast onto the grass beneath the tree that had once been its hunting ground.

"Oh, how sweet," a female voice sneered.

I barely had time to look up at the intruder before a hard blow to the chest sent me flying into the tree behind me. I hissed as my head collided with the tree and shattered the wood behind it, my eyes locking on the flaming red hair of the vampire who stood in front of me. The vampire's sneer widened into a mocking smile as she met my gaze, her crimson eyes flashing with hatred.

I felt my own eyes narrow and I straightened into a crouch, my lips pulled back into a snarl almost identical to the one that my prey had shown to me. I tried not to think about how my fate could be similar to the mountain lion's.

The female snorted, her cold gaze watching me with disdain.

"Please," she hissed. "You weren't even strong enough to defend yourself against Robert. What makes you think you have a chance against me?"

I simply growled in return, my anger over her confidence turning my vision red. This reaction surprised me for a moment; I wasn't usually a very angry person. Then I remembered what she had done to the wolves and my anger increased.

"We'll see how strong I am when I'm kicking your ass halfway to China," I snarled.

The female chuckled, although the gesture didn't reach her eyes, which remained cold and dead.

"Silly girl," she purred. "You don't know who you're dealing with." Her eyes narrowed as she focused on me, her lips curling in concentration.

I tensed, waiting for her attack, but felt only a vague sense of power from somewhere around me. I frowned, slightly confused, but sensed nothing other than this vampire nearby. Was this her power?

Apparently, it wasn't because at that moment the female hissed at me, her expression outraged.

"They were right," she snarled. "Damn. They'll never let me kill you now."

"Who are they?" I growled back, my heart sinking a little as I guessed her reply.

The female glared at me with loathing, her crimson eyes darkening slightly with agony.

"Who do you think?" she barked. "The Volturi. They had promised- they said that I could kill you if you were vulnerable to my powers. But my powers don't even effect you! Damn it, I can't even absorb your shield!"

"Why do you want to kill me?" I asked, slightly confused.

The female snarled at me so ferociously that I took a step back.

"Why?" she howled. "Why? Because you killed Robert! You caused him to be torn to shreds by those Cullens! My reason to live… and you took him from me!"

I felt pity start to replace the fury in my system as I grasped what she was experiencing. I tried to imagine how I would feel if this woman had been responsible for Edward's death and immediately recoiled from the agony and fury that invaded me at the thought.

"Why don't you kill me then?" I asked quietly.

The female glared at me, as if annoyed by the sound of my voice.

"Because you're powerful," she snarled. "You can block all of the powers that the Volturi possess, and that's without even trying. Aro believes that if you ever mastered your power, you could protect others as well, and then you would be a real threat."

_Too late_, I thought wryly. I wondered if that knowledge would make Aro want to kill me… knowing how power-hungry he got, I doubted that I would get so lucky.

"So what are you going to do with me then?" I asked, getting slightly impatient. Why couldn't she just ruin my life already and get on with it?

"My orders are to take you back to Volterra, and to make sure that the Cullens don't come after you," she said through gritted teeth, as if merely repeating the words disgusted her.

I felt my heart drop into my stomach. They knew about the Cullens… How long would they keep my family alive?

"Come quietly and the Volturi will let them live," the female told me, reading the expression on my face.

I nodded, my jaw set. If this was the way to protect the Cullens, then I would do whatever she asked me to do. It was better than my original plan, at least.

"They won't stop looking for me," I told her. "It won't take them long to come after me in Volterra."

The female's lip curled and she smiled a wicked smile.

"Just because you aren't affected by my powers doesn't mean that they are immune as well," she hissed. "And don't try any funny business with your shield or I will send the guards after them. Understood?"

I nodded, although deep down I knew that if she hurt Edward and his family in any way, I would do whatever I could to stop her.

"Good," the vampire purred. "And just to be sure…"

I stiffened as her hand fastened around my wrists in a vice-like grip, my teeth clenching as she put her other hand over my mouth.

"Not a sound," she whispered.

I smelled Edward's scent on the air and felt my heart wrench. What would she do to them?

The female smiled at me and looked pointedly at the ground in front of her.

A scream broke through my lips as the power swept over me and a fire began to spread.

EPOV

My head snapped up as Bella's scream wafted through the trees towards me, my nostrils flaring as I smelled smoke amongst the scents in the air.

"No," I gasped. I put on another burst of speed, bringing myself farther away from my siblings.

_Edward!_ Four voices chorused in my head as I pulled ahead.

I ignored them, my attention focused entirely on the source of the smoke.

I pulled myself to a halt in front of the pile of flickering flames, a lump forming in my throat when I saw the pitch black smoke roiling off of the flames in waves. I smelled a faint trace of Bella's scent from within the flames and tried to lunge into the fiery inferno, only to be held back by Emmett's strong arms.

"Don't!" he yelled in my ear as he struggled to hold me back, his own thoughts choked with sorrow and agony. "It's too late, Edward! You can't help her now!"

I roared a wordless denial to the skies and tried to pull away from my brother's embrace, but his grip remained strong.

Jasper cried out from somewhere beside me, his mind clouded with pain as he sensed the searing agony that was building up in the hole that had been ripped through my shattered chest. Alice screamed and put her arms around her husband, her face disappearing into his shoulder as she sobbed.

I heard Rosalie choke on her own sobs as she called out to Emmett, telling him that she was going to tell Carlisle and Esme. I felt her pain and worry at what my parents' reactions would be as if they were my own emotions, but nothing my siblings felt could erase the pain in my own heart.

I tried once more to break away from Emmett's grasp, no longer concerned with rescuing Bella. I needed to join her; I needed to be with her, where ever she was. It was too painful to live without her.

Bella's words from our last conversation ran through my mind, the memory of her voice almost as painful as the hole in my chest.

_What does it matter if no one __wants__ me to go away? It won't matter if they all die._

I screamed at the sky again, not knowing if I was giving words to my thoughts.

"I'm still alive!" I screamed, not caring if she never heard the words. "I'm still alive and I don't care! My life doesn't matter without you here!"

Somewhere nearby, Jasper was crying.

**Okay, so that was surprisingly hard to write. I love the feedback I've been getting about Bella. A lot of you seem to understand what she's going through, but it still doesn't stop you from saying that she's an idiot. Next chapter, of course, will introduce the evil Volturi. Yay! And, as always, I do not own Twilight or any of the characters in it. Thanks to all for reading and reviewing! You all rock!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

BPOV

I leaned against the hard stone wall behind me, my face turned once more towards the tiny barred window that was placed in a far corner of the room. I knew that if I narrowed my eyes slightly, I would be able to see a shred of the Volterra sky from where I was. I also knew that two Volturi guards stood on the other side of that barred window, and that the small hole which passed for said window was too small for me to fit through without shrinking about five feet anyways.

I sighed and turned away from the window to look at the heavy wooden door that I had so recently been shoved through.

_It's so nice to know that some things never change_, I thought sarcastically.

I had been in this exact cell once before, just after the murders of Bonnie and Clyde to be exact. It didn't really surprise me that the Volturi hadn't bothered to do a make-over on their cells. Knowing Aro, Caius, and Marcus, I wouldn't have been surprised if the layout was just as it was when Aro was human.

Someone entered the prison, making me tense. Ever since the female vampire had teleported me to the Volturi stronghold (Lord knows how the witch got teleporting and the ability to create fire as powers), I had been left alone in this cell without any visits from the charming people that made up the Volturi guard. I supposed that it was time for me to accept whatever sick joke Fate had decided to play on me.

The think steel bars slid back from their places on the outside of the door, allowing it to gently fall open. I didn't bother to get up from my place against the wall, knowing full well that any attempt to run away would just amuse my captors; and I was not in the mood for amusement.

A vampire who was almost as large as Emmett in terms of muscle mass looked into the cell, his eyebrows raised expectantly beneath his cropped dark hair.

"Hello Felix," I greeted him flatly, distantly remembering the muscular vampire flirt from my last visit.

"Good morning, Bella," he replied smoothly. "My, the years have been kind to you, haven't they?"

"I'm a vampire, Felix, it doesn't matter if the years are kind or not," I snapped. "What do you want?"

"Aro wishes to speak with you," he reported, his red eyes abruptly serious.

I sighed and stood up slowly, taking care to be as slow as possible in order to annoy him. I even made sure to stumble on my way out of the cell, noting with pleasure that his eyes hardened in impatience as we made our way to the meeting room at a snail's pace.

"You spend too much time with the humans," he growled. "They are making you slow."

"Did it ever cross your mind that there might be another reason to be slow in this place?" I shot back. "Not every one is so eager to get their heads torn off."

Felix frowned for a moment, seeming to consider my words. I sighed and looked over at the second vampire who was following us, his mouth twisted into an amused half-smile.

"Do I entertain you, Demetri?" I asked sarcastically.

Demetri's smile widened.

"Only as much as usual, Bella," he purred. I noted with annoyance that he was checking me out as well. What was it with Volturi men?

Felix cleared his throat after a few moments, his posture straightening unconsciously.

"We're here," he said quietly.

I took a deep, unnecessary breath and followed him into the meeting room to face the banes of my existence.

EPOV

_Edward, please listen to me_.

I growled and pushed Jasper's thoughts out of my mind, just as I had blocked the thoughts of everyone else in my family. I knew that Carlisle and Alice were both hurt by my decision, but I couldn't stand to hear their thoughts, couldn't stand to feel their sorrow. What they felt could never come close to the pain that still reigned within my chest.

Jasper sighed, clearly realizing that I was never going to listen to anything he said mentally.

"Alright then, I'll just talk to you," he said impatiently. "Edward, I sensed someone else's emotions besides ours when we found the fire. I know you and everyone else thinks that the person was whoever killed-."

I snarled at my brother, cutting off his sentence. Even the thought of the angel that I had lost sent a fresh wave of agony through my already fried nerves.

"Alright, fine, you know who I mean," Jasper growled, his patience running thin. I felt a tiny sense of pity for him; after all, he was probably the only member of my family who knew what I was going through, and the experience could hardly be pleasant for him when he was only a few feet away. Of course, that didn't mean that I was going to be any nicer to him for the next part of eternity.

"Edward, the person who I sensed when we found that fire was crying," Jasper hissed, his voice pleading. "That's why I cried while we were there. Whoever I sensed was going through just as much pain as you were feeling at that moment."

I snorted, feeling a vague sense of astonishment at the gesture. There was no way that anyone could ever feel what I was feeling.

"What confuses me about this person is the fact that they disappeared a few moments after I sensed them," Jasper continued, pointedly ignoring me. "Edward, I don't think that Bella-."

His words were drowned out by the furious roar that I sent his way at the mention of Bella's name. How could he say her name aloud when he knew how much it affected me?

"Jazz," Alice murmured, her quiet footsteps even softer than usual as she made her way down the hall to her husband. "Leave him be. He needs some time alone."

Jasper sighed and whispered his consent. I listened to the sounds of their retreat, my ears tuned to every sound that came from the room below where the rest of my family was staying. If my plan was ever going to work, now would be the perfect time…

Before Alice could ever hope to see my next move, I leapt out of my window, my legs moving before I even hit the ground. The cell phone that I had recently used to order a plane ticket while my family was busy mourning lay stiff in the pocket of my jeans, reminding me of what was to come.

BPOV

I let my eyes rove around the circular meeting room of the Volturi as Felix and Demetri herded me inside. Just like my cell, the meeting room of the most powerful vampire coven in existence hadn't changed at all since my last visit. The only alterations that I could see were the additions of two members of the guard who stood stiffly beside Heidi and Chelsea. I shuddered at the thought of what had made them become Volturi, and decided that I really didn't want to know if their circumstances were similar to mine or not.

Aro, Caius, and Marcus were enthroned like kings at the front of the room, their alabaster thrones mounted on a marble dais. I allowed my gaze to focus on each of them in turn, noting that the white films over their eyes seemed to have gotten worse. Caius met my gaze with a sneer, his scarlet eyes triumphant; Marcus, I noted with surprise, seemed disappointed, as if he had expected an escape by now. Aro, as always, was thrilled.

"Bella!" he called cheerfully from his throne. He rose majestically from his place beside his brothers, his dark robe (nearly the same shade as his jet hair) trailing regally behind him.

I merely bowed my head in response, not really in the mood to play along with his games.

"How nice it is to see you again," he continued, oblivious to my cold greeting. "As you can see, we have added new members to our guard since your last visit. You have already met with the lovely Victoria, of course."

The vampire who had taken me here glared at me from her place beside Caius's wife Athenodora, the red shade of her hair matching her current mood perfectly.

"And you have not yet been introduced to Corin and Santiago," Aro continued blissfully. "Although I am sure, in the future, that you will know them quite well."

_Thank goodness you're not psychic_, I thought wryly.

"Victoria has been a marvelous addition to our company," Aro simpered, his eyes softening as he looked back at his newest prize. I noticed that Jane did not look too thrilled by the attention that the newest member was receiving. "She possesses the ability to absorb the powers of others as her own, and has already taken the gifts of teleportation, telepathy, pyrokinesis, and the ability to create illusions to her list of powers. Although," he added, his mood dampening slightly. "She is unable to absorb your gift. Why is that, dear Bella?"

"How should I know?" I muttered darkly, already tired of this conversation. That was the problem with Aro: you couldn't talk to him without feeling exhausted by his perkiness.

"It seems your shield is more powerful than I had ever dreamed it could be," he murmured, slightly awed. "It is a shame that you will not join us."

"I don't approve of your ethics," I said shortly.

"Fair enough," Aro said with a shrug. "You will reconsider in time, I assure you."

"Don't hold your breath," I growled back. I saw the Corin and Santiago stiffen with shock at my tone as I addressed their leader. Aro merely smiled coolly.

"You haven't changed at all," he mused. "Pity." He turned back to Felix and Demetri and waved to them impatiently.

"Take her back to her cell," he ordered. "And make sure that she receives no blood."

Seeing as there was a shortage of animals in Volterra, I doubted that the second part of his order would be much of a problem.

"Yes master," the two vampires murmured. They each grabbed one of my arms and dragged me out of the meeting room to start our delightful journey down to the prison.

I waited patiently for them to lock the door to my cell and leave a guard at the entrance to the prison before I settled back into my original position against the far wall. I looked up at the tiny window and narrowed my eyes as I tried to see the color of the sky.

It was cloudy in Volterra, just as it had been in Forks before I had left. I felt my dead heart tear at the thought of the family I had left behind, and wondered how I could ever have been so stupid as to think that it would be better if I left them.

_It was for a good reason_, a voice inside my head said soothingly. _You were trying to protect them._

I remembered the words that Edward had screamed when he saw the fire Victoria had conjured and hoped desperately that the voice was right.

**Hey! As always, I do not own Twilight or any of the characters. And, of course, many thanks are due to the people who read and review this story. You all are awesome enough to be Cullens! (or wolves, depending on what team you're on) ;) I will try to get another post up before school starts for me on Tuesday, but after that I'll have to play it by ear. Please be patient, I promise to try and keep posting even after school has started. Thank you faithful readers!**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

AlicePOV

I looked up when Jasper came down the stairs, my eyes still burning with the shadows of tears that I would never shed. He forced a small smile when he saw me, not quite able to hide the pain that he was feeling from each member of our family.

I tried to smile back but only succeeded in wincing as the burning in my eyes increased. I wondered what it would be like to actually shed tears… I couldn't remember my human years, although I'm sure that I cried a little.

Esme's sobs wafted towards us from the kitchen, making Jasper and I grimace. Esme and Carlisle had taken Bella's death badly; I knew from Jasper and Edward that they had already begun to think of Bella as a daughter, and I didn't need to be an empath to know that they were feeling her loss as much as the rest of us.

Jasper perched on the armrest of the chair that I was curled up on, being careful to position himself as far away from Rosalie and Emmett as possible. Like our parents, Rosalie and Emmett were mourning Bella in their own way. Rosalie's blonde head was nearly buried beneath Emmett's huge arms as they held each other, and their own sobs were almost loud enough to drown out Esme's.

I sighed and rested my head in Jasper's lap, trying to control my emotions for his sake. He had been through a lot in the last 48 hours between the wolves and Bella, and I didn't want to put him through any more pain.

Jasper brushed a few strands of hair away from my face and gently kissed my forehead, a wave of gentle calm passing over me.

"It's going to be okay, Alice," he murmured soothingly.

"How's Edward doing?" I asked him. Even though Jasper had stopped trying to talk to Edward, he still insisted on going up to check on our brother.

Jasper frowned, his eyes troubled.

"I can't feel anything," he admitted. "Not even numbness… Alice, I don't think he's-."

_Edward stood in front of the Volturi, his black eyes dull and furious._

"_What are you waiting for?" he yelled. "You've already taken my only reason for existence. Why can't you just kill me?"_

"_I'm afraid we have something else planned for you, my dear boy," Aro said quietly._

_Edward screamed and collapsed onto the ornate marble floor, his hands clutching his head._

"_I won't!" he screamed. "I won't join you!"_

"_Chelsea," Aro said simply._

_Edward screams stopped abruptly and he looked up, his eyes red._

I gasped and shot out of my chair, barely noticing the alarmed looks that I was getting from the rest of my family.

"Edward!" I screamed as I ran towards his room. I skidded to a stop outside his door, my hand already reaching out to twist the knob. "Edward!"

"Alice," Jasper yelled, his feet pounding on the wood as he followed me, Emmett and Rosalie close behind. "Alice, what are you doing?"

I threw open Edward's door in answer, my eyes already scanning the room. My gaze locked on the open window and I groaned.

"Edward's gone to Volterra," I moaned, my legs giving out beneath me. I fell to the floor of my brother's room, my eyes burning once more.

EPOV

I waited impatiently in line for the customs officials to check me. I could sense the funny looks that I was getting from my fellow passengers due to my lack of baggage, but I ignored them.

A young blonde woman took my passport without looking up, her eyebrows rising as she looked at my picture. She glanced up at me quickly to ensure that I was the same person in the picture, her heart rate increasing as she met my gaze.

_Oh mio, lui è caldo_, she thought dazedly. (**hey it's me, for those of you who don't know Italian, I'll have translations here. Right now, this woman is thinking "Oh my, he's hot.")**

"Q-qui si va," (**H-here you go**) she stuttered as she handed me my passport, a faint blush spreading across her face.

I remembered when Bella had blushed as a human and moved on without a word, the pain searing its way through my core. I was forced to pause again by the metal detectors as the officials there checked my bags.

"La borsa, per favore," (**You're bag, please**) a sallow-skinned brunette told me, the thin wands that humans use to scan each other for metal objects in her hand. She gestured towards the small conveyor belt that moved through a small square.

"Non ho tutti i bagagli," (**I don't have any baggage**) I told her flatly. I placed my cell phone in one of the small crates used for smaller objects and watched as it went through the square, its screen lighting up with the alert that I had a call.

"Non vai anser a questo?" (**Aren't you going to answer that?**) the brunette demanded.

I shrugged to show that I would not and waited patiently as she scanned me.

_E' strano, ma è carino_, (**He is odd, but he's cute**)she thought as she motioned for me to move on.

I walked away from the brunette, careful to leave my phone unclaimed. I didn't need to hear what my family had to say about my decision.

I didn't bother to talk with the chatty taxi driver as he drove me into Volterra, barely bothered to hide my face from the setting sun as we drew closer to Volterra.

I allowed the man to drop me off outside of the city gates, not wanting to put him in danger. Strangers in Volterra were often lunch.

A small shape in a black cloak was hiding in an alley when I walked through the gates. She shrank back when she saw me looking, her thoughts wordless surprise when I approached her.

"Take me to Aro," I ordered her. "Now."

BPOV

It was dark when another visitor entered the prison.

My head shot up as the door opened slowly, a small frown creasing my forehead. I hadn't thought that I would be bothered by Aro yet; normally he would at least leave me in this cell until I needed blood. A few hours would hardly change my mind about joining the Volturi.

Marcus slid into the cell, making me start in shock. Of all the members of the guard, his was the face that I had expected to see the least.

"Hello," he said hesitantly as he settled onto the floor across from me.

"Hi?" I replied, my confusion making my greeting a question.

"Don't worry about Felix and Demetri, I gave them leave to feed," Marcus assured me quickly. "They won't escape Aro's notice for long, but they should give us enough time."

"Enough time to do what, exactly?" I asked warily.

"To do what needs to be done," he said simply. Seeing the confused look on my face, he continued. "I don't want you to be here, Bella. I've seen the suffering we caused each time we killed your friends, sensed the bonds that were broken when we kidnapped you this latest time. I don't want to keep you here, away from whoever you've grown so close to. I don't want you to end up like me."

"What happened to you?" I asked, forgetting my suspicion for a moment.

"My wife, Didyme, was killed a few centuries ago," Marcus said quietly. "I didn't know how she had been killed until Victoria took her husband's gift of telepathy. She heard Aro thinking about Didyme's death and showed his thoughts to me. Aro… killed her when he found out that we were planning to leave Volterra to start a new life together. He left me alive because I was more valuable to him. Didyme was Aro's sister."

"Oh," I gasped. "I'm so sorry."

Marcus waved away my apologies.

"My point is that I am tired of Aro destroying the happiness of others. I see the ties that still hold you to the Cullen family and one member in particular. I will not stand aside and let Aro separate you from your mate as well."

I blushed a little at Marcus's mention of the word mate and nodded for him to continue.

"As we speak, a new arrival is coming to our stronghold," Marcus told me in a low voice. "You know him, of course, since he is the one whose tie to you is so strong. His name is Edward."

I felt my skin go colder than it already was and leaned against the wall of the cell, noticing for the first time how cold it was.

"Aro is planning on using him to make you join us," Marcus continued. "If you refuse to join the guard, Aro will make Edward join. If you agree, Edward will go free, although judging from what I've heard he will be back soon enough so that we can kill him. He is quite put out by your death."

I groaned and pressed my hands over my face. How could I be such an idiot? Of course Edward would try something stupid if he blamed himself for my death; which he probably did.

"Is that why you came down here, then, to warn me?" I demanded. "What am I supposed to do to stop Aro?"

"You won't do anything, at least not alone," Marcus said quietly, his mouth twisting into a painful-looking smile. "I have a plan."

**Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own any of these characters or Twilight. Thanks are of course due to all of my amazing reviewers and readers. You guys are amazing! Sorry that this is kind of shorter than the others, I just felt like I had to end this here. I promise that I will update as soon as possible, just be patient with me, okay?**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

MPOV

"Help!"

The guard posted outside of the heavy wooden doors whirled around at the sound of my voice, his scarlet eyes widening.

"Master-," he began, his voice dying in his throat when he saw the look plastered across my face.

"Please, help me!" I called, my voice breaking mid-sentence. "Something is wrong, something is terribly wrong!"

"What is it?" he demanded, his fear making him brave.

I slowed my hurried walk and came very close to his face, my gaze steady.

"Our guards are all idiots," I told him as a white hand flew out of the darkness behind him and ripped his head from its perch. "That is what's wrong."

Bella detached herself from the darkness, her black eyes slightly pained as she looked with distaste at the guard's headless corpse.

"Are you alright?" I asked her, letting some concern leak into my voice. My plan wouldn't work if she was harmed, mentally or physically.

She shrugged and turned away, her eyes hardening as she focused on the rest of the plan. I felt a small stab of admiration; despite her delicate looks, the girl was strong. I could see why the Cullen boy would kill himself over losing her.

"Where to next?" she asked tightly.

I nodded towards the heavy door and wrenched it open, my eyes narrowing as a small squeak came from the hinges. Damn, I should have known that Aro wouldn't have oiled any of the doors. He might be the leader of the most powerful coven in the world, but he was still horrible when it came to the upkeep of his own property.

"We'll have to move quickly," I hissed as Bella slipped past me through the door. I don't know if anyone heard the door creak. Is your shield up?"

Bella nodded and tapped her finger against her head.

"We're covered," she said confidently.

How strange, I didn't feel any different… then again, she was a powerful shield.

"Alright then, follow me," I said brusquely.

I lead the young vampire through the door onto the high balcony that wrapped around the circular meeting room in a tight ring, careful to stay in the shadows cast by the far wall. I knew that hardly any vampires looked up at the balcony when there was something interesting going on, but I was still careful to keep out of sight. My plan wouldn't work if Jane or some other annoying member of the guard looked up and saw us.

Bella opened her mouth as if to ask me something but I motioned for her to be quiet. While the balcony was an ideal place to listen to conversations unseen, it also had a nasty habit of making everything that was said up here audible to the people below. I suspected that this was one of Aro's designs; leave it to him to make architecture annoying.

I breathed a small sigh of relief when we reached a small alcove surrounded on three sides by walls supported by four Corinthian pillars. A small marble door was set into the side of one of the walls, allowing for easy access into the box. I opened the door, noting with triumph that it didn't creak at all, and waved Bella in ahead of me before I went in after her, closing the door behind me.

I glanced around at the box, a rare smile flickering across my face as I remembered the times I had spent with Didyme here. The expression quickly clouded when I remembered a not-so-happy time that I had spent up here, my hands clutching Didyme's locket as I mourned her death. Well, if all went according to plan, I would never have to relive that again.

"We can speak here," I told Bella in a quiet whisper. And it was true, the heavy tapestries that hung on each of the three walls helped to absorb most of the sound, though it was still necessary to speak in a whisper since the fourth wall looked down on the raised dais that held the thrones in the circular room below us.

"What is this place?" she hissed her mouth slightly open with awe.

"It's a secret hiding place of mine, I used to come here when I wanted to get away from Aro," I confided quietly. "I'm actually very relieved that it's still here… Caius was urging Aro to have it destroyed a few decades ago."

Bella nodded, her eyes fixed on the circular room below.

"You might want to crouch lower," I warned her. "Though this room is largely hidden, if you stand at the edge like that someone is bound to see you."

Bella nodded and crouched lower, the barest edge of her face showing as she peeked through the intricate patterns set into the marble rail of the balcony. I crouched down beside her, my eyes narrowing as I saw some of the guard begin to file into the room. I would have to put my plan into action soon…

"Why are we here?" Bella murmured her mouth close to my ear so that we wouldn't be overheard.

"This place allows us to see what Aro will do without being seen," I told her. "It will allow us to plan how to proceed when the time comes."

"And when is that time?" Bella demanded. "You haven't told me much of your plan, Marcus."

I drew in a deep breath and looked at the young girl steadily, a slight ache appearing in my chest when I thought of how similar she was to Didyme. She had been determined as well…

"You need to trust me on this, Bella," I told her earnestly. "I want nothing more than to see Aro's plans foiled, and I am going to try my hardest to make sure that you and Edward are safe. Please, you just need to follow my instructions. Do not fight me on this or both of us may die."

Bella hesitated for a moment and nodded, the prospect of Edward's safety winning over her own suspicion.

I turned away from her and looked down at the room as Caius entered with his wife by his side, trying not to feel guilty for lying to Bella. It wasn't even a true lie, really. I did hope that the Cullen boy wasn't going to die… but he would if I needed him to.

I felt my lips curl slightly when Aro walked in with his own wife on his arm, a smug smile on his lips. How dare he smile after what he did to me? How dare he enjoy happiness when I had been forced to live in agony for millennia?

I felt Bella tense as Aro was seated and the rest of the guard turned expectantly towards the large wooden doors. My breath stopped in my chest as one of the doors opened slowly.

This was it…

EPOV

I glanced disinterestedly at the ornate marble and cold granite that coated the walls of the Volturi's meeting room. Nothing could catch my attention anymore.

Aro and Caius were seated on two of the onyx thrones on the raised limestone dais, although I noticed vaguely that the third one, Marcus, was nowhere to be seen. How strange.

"Hello, young Edward," Aro called cheerfully from his throne. I resisted the urge to glare at him. His cheerfulness was painful. "Such a pleasure to see you! How is my friend Carlisle?"

I shrugged, trying to ignore the pain in my chest that came at the thought of my family. They would be so upset over what I was about to do… A larger pain went through my scarred nerves, reminding me why I was here. I couldn't live anymore, not without her.

"My father is not doing very well at the moment," I told the Volturi leader truthfully. "Neither is the rest of my family, for that matter."

"Really?" Aro said, letting false concern drip into his voice. I felt my lips curl when I saw the falseness of his thoughts. This man was a snake. "How unfortunate; may I ask what the cause of their ailment is?"

"You should know, seeing as you caused it," I snarled at him, unable to control my anger.

Aro raised his eyebrows, not very surprised by my outburst.

"What makes you say that?" he asked calmly.

"Bella-." Her name burned my throat on the way out, making me wince. "- Bella told me what you've been doing to her. How you killed everyone she cared about, just so you could get her powers. Why couldn't you just leave her alone?" I screamed, my pain making me lose what little control I had. "Why? Why did you have to do this to her? You killed her!"

"My my, aren't we a little put out," A small blonde girl giggled from a few feet away.

I snarled and turned on her, my teeth bared threateningly. She giggled again and focused on me intently, her lips twisted into a sadistic smile.

I screamed as a fiery pain that had nothing to do with Bella tore through me, making me collapse onto the floor in a writhing heap. The girl laughed again, making a fresh wave of pain wash over me. I greeted it with a shriek.

"Jane," Aro said sternly.

The pain went away in a moment, leaving the agony of Bella's death behind. I winced and stood up slowly, trying to ignore the urge to kill the girl. I didn't want to draw my own death out longer than I had to.

"Now then, where were we before that tiny interruption?" Aro asked good-naturedly.

I glared up at him through eyes that were quickly being clouded by red. I sighed and forced the red away. As much as I despised him, I needed him. He was the only one who could give me what I wanted.

"I need you to kill me," I told him firmly. "It shouldn't be too hard for you, given what you've already done."

Aro stared at me for a moment, his thoughts contemplative. I noticed that he was being careful to hide his thoughts from me, although I couldn't imagine why. It wasn't like I would be around long enough to be a threat to his secrets.

Then he did something that shocked me, even in my pained state.

Aro began to laugh.

**Hey guys, sorry this took so long… first week of school was kind of busy. Thank goodness I have off today… also, I still don't know exactly how often I'm going to be able to write posts now, so you're going to have to bear with me, ok? I promise I will try and wrap this story up as soon as I can, and I'll try not to keep you guys waiting too long on the updates, ok? Also, once again I must admit that I do not own Twilight or any of its characters, and I sincerely thank everyone who has read and reviewed this story. You are all awesome!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

BPOV

I bit my lip as the doors to the Volturi's circular meeting room opened. I had known that it would take nearly all of my control to stand by and watch Edward walk into this damned room without even trying to protect him, but even my wildest calculations could not have prepared me for the wave of fierce protectiveness and anger that came over me as soon as I saw his bronze head moving among the crowd of black and grey Volturi cloaks. Why was I up here? Why wasn't I down there, fighting as hard as I could to get Edward out of there before anyone hurt him?

Marcus put a restraining hand on my shoulder, making me realize that I had unconsciously leaned towards the edge of the marble railing. I felt my skin burn with the ghost of a blush and pulled back slightly so that I was next to him again.

"Be patient," he hissed soundlessly in my ear. "Everything will work out in due time. We just have to wait for the opportune moment."

I sighed mentally and nodded. I braced myself as Edward approached Aro's dais, his black eyes blazing with pain and anger.

"Hello, young Edward!" Aro called cheerfully. "Such a pleasure to see you! How is my friend Carlisle?"

I winced at the mention of Carlisle's name, my thoughts going to the family that I had left behind. How were they doing?

Edward shrugged, his expression twisting slightly with pain. I felt my heart ache at the sight and winced at the thought of the agony that I must have caused him.

"My father is not doing very well at the moment," Edward told Aro, his velvet voice rough with suppressed emotion. "Neither is the rest of my family, for that matter."

I winced again, feeling a fresh pang of guilt go through me. Were the Cullens really so upset over my 'death'? I hadn't known that they were so attached to me already…

"Really? How unfortunate; may I ask what the cause of their ailment is?" Aro asked, false concern leaking into his voice. I felt my lips curl in a silent snarl. Like he didn't already know what their 'ailment' was. Marcus elbowed me sharply in the side, warning me not to do anything.

"You should know, seeing as you caused it," Edward snarled, voicing my thoughts exactly.

"What makes you say that?" Aro asked calmly. I barely held back another growl, earning myself another nudge from Marcus.

"Bella told me what you've been doing to her. How you killed everyone she cared about, just so you could get her powers. Why couldn't you just leave her alone?" Edward screamed, his voice breaking slightly as he said my name. "Why? Why did you have to do this to her? You killed her!"

A small whimper escaped my lips and I leaned forward again, wishing that I could be down there to comfort him. Marcus pulled me back roughly and shook his head.

"Not yet," he mouthed.

Below us, Jane giggled at Edward's pain, her eyes bright with amusement.

"My my, aren't we a little put out?" she chuckled.

My muscles locked down in panic as Edward turned on her with a snarl, his teeth bared threateningly.

"No," I gasped as Jane smiled sadistically at him.

"Hush," Marcus hissed. "Not yet."

I bit my lip against a scream as Edward collapsed on the cold marble floor writhing in pain. Cries of agony broke through his perfect lips, making me lean forward again. Marcus kept his hand on my shoulder, keeping me from going further as Jane laughed.

"Wait," he whispered.

"Jane," Aro said sternly from below us.

I sighed with relief when Jane looked away, my eyes focused intently on Edward as he got slowly to his feet.

"Now then, where were we before that tiny interruption?" Aro asked good-naturedly.

I felt my panic rise again, already knowing what Edward's answer would be. How was I going to stand it if the Volturi granted Edward's request? Marcus's hand tightened on my shoulder as he guessed my thoughts.

"Patience," he reminded me.

"I need you to kill me," Edward told Aro, his tone determined. "It shouldn't be too hard for you, given what you've already done."

Aro stared at him intently as he thought over Edward's request. I realized vaguely that I was holding my breath and felt distantly thankful that I didn't need to breathe anymore. I had a feeling that I wouldn't be breathing much throughout this meeting.

Then Aro did something that shocked me and made Marcus stiffen.

He started to laugh.

EPOV

I waited for Aro to stop laughing, a small knot forming in my gut as his chuckles echoed throughout the stone room. What had I gotten myself into?

Aro slowly regained control of himself, his hand rising delicately in front of his mouth to hide the remainder of his mirth as he calmed down.

"I'm so sorry for that," he said apologetically, the tone of his thoughts still tainted by the remainder of whatever had amused him. I caught Bella's name amongst the thoughts that he was struggling to hide from me and felt my jaw tighten. If it weren't for the fact that he was the only one who could get me killed…

"Now then," Aro continued his voice businesslike. "I regret to inform you that we cannot kill you, Edward. Not yet, anyways."

I felt my heart drop.

BPOV

I sighed silently with relief as Aro told Edward that he would not kill him, the second time I had been relieved in his presence. Beside me, Marcus stiffened, his eyes narrowed. Noticing my questioning gaze, he absently patted my shoulder.

"Soon," he murmured.

I nodded slowly and looked back at Edward, waiting for his reply.

He took a deep breath, seeming to compose himself before he answered, and met Aro's gaze with the barest trace of a glare.

"And why," he said slowly. "Can you not kill me at this moment?"

"I'm afraid," Aro replied courteously. "That we have much more important things in store for you, my boy."

"Your power is a useful one, for starters," Caius piped up, the first words that I had heard him say throughout the entire conversation. "The ability to read minds from a distance would be most advantageous to our cause."

"I won't join you," Edward snarled, grasping the gist of Caius's statement.

My gaze travelled to Chelsea, the member of the guard who had the ability to force people to join the Volturi. My heart dropped when I saw that she was focusing intently on Edward. I toyed with the idea of putting my shield around him, just for a little while.

Marcus nudged me, once again guessing my thoughts.

"Not yet," he hissed.

"Of course, there are other ways to get your power, my dear Edward," Aro said silkily. "And we will take advantage of those ways, won't we Victoria?"

I saw Edward's eyes narrow as he recognized Victoria and resisted the urge to jump between them before he attacked her. Marcus nodded approvingly at my show of discipline, although his hand went to my shoulder once again.

"Yes, master," Victoria said dully, not really seeming thrilled by the idea of another power. I felt a small stab of pity as I remembered that she was basically in the same boat as Edward, although unlike him her mate was actually dead.

My pity lasted about as long as it took for her to look at Edward and make him scream in agony.

EPOV

I felt every cell of my body erupt in burning agony as Victoria looked at me, her dull red eyes focusing infinitesimally. The pain was similar to what Jane had put me through a few moments ago, except for the fact that it was worse; much worse.

I screamed again, unable to hold back my cries as my gift was taken into Victoria's mind. My mind flashed back to Carlisle's stories of soldiers who had had their limbs amputated without the benefit of morphine. It felt like I was going through much the same thing, except for the fact that my pain was in my mind, not in my limbs.

Victoria drew back slightly, making the pain go away. I looked up to see that her skin was paler than usual, and she was leaning slightly on another one of the guards as she tried to recover her strength. I wondered if I looked as pale and steadied myself so that I wouldn't have to lean on any of the guards.

I checked cautiously on the thoughts of those around me, making sure that my gift was still intact. I breathed a small sigh of relief when I saw that I could still hear thoughts, even though those thoughts weren't exactly the most pleasant at the moment. Even if I was going to die soon, it felt wrong to think of existing without my gift.

Aro nodded in approval at Victoria and settled back in his chair.

_It's time_, he thought, making my heart leap slightly. Would he kill me now that he had my gift?

Aro cleared his throat, his red eyes flashing with deadly amusement at the hope in my eyes.

"I'm afraid that this doesn't change anything," he told me.

My heart plummeted again and I felt my control slip once more.

"What are you waiting for?" I yelled before I could stop myself. "You've already taken my only reason for existence. Why can't you just kill me?"

"I'm afraid we have something else planned for you, my dear boy," Aro said quietly.

I screamed and collapsed onto the ornate marble floor, my hands flying to the sides of my head as a numbing presence invaded my mind.

BPOV

I cried out as Edward collapsed, unable to stop myself. My cries were drowned out by his screams as he clutched the sides of his head. I tried to lunge forward, only to be held back by Marcus.

"Not yet," he hissed, his hands tightening on my shoulders as I struggled to get away.

"I won't!" Edward screamed. "I won't join you!"

"Chelsea," Aro said simply. My heart plummeted like a stone as Chelsea's eyes narrowed and she focused on Edward.

Edward's screams cut off abruptly and he looked up, his eyes a bright red.

"Don't!" Marcus cried as I broke away from his grasp with a scream.

I ignored him and leapt over the edge of the railing, the marble floor splintering beneath my feet as I landed lightly on the surface. I threw my shield over Edward, hoping desperately that it would work.

Aro stood up and snarled at me, his orders drowned out by Chelsea's hiss of outrage as she and Afton surged forward, followed closely by Demetri, Felix, and Jane.

I snarled at them and crouched protectively in front of Edward's suddenly still form, preparing to kill them all if I had to.

Aro screamed something, his voice barely audible over the chaos. I heard Marcus yell something at me from the balcony, his cry echoed by Caius's hiss as he growled at his fellow leader.

Marcus jumped off of the balcony just as Jane lunged for my throat, his arms already moving to block her as he landed. Caius snarled and leapt towards him, his bared fangs aiming for the vulnerable skin at Marcus's neck…

A black-and-white blur brushed past me and slammed into Caius, knocking him into one of the stone walls.

Jane froze mid-lunge, her widening eyes the mirror image of the expressions that were slowly spreading across the faces of her fellow Volturi as they all stopped and stared at the recent addition to the meeting.

A petite vampire woman with long black hair and furious red-rimmed black eyes straightened up and glared around at the Volturi, her lips pulled back in a silent snarl.

Amid the sudden and total silence that had engulfed the room since the woman's entrance, I heard Marcus utter a single word, his tone transfigured into one of joy and awe.

"Didyme."

**Disclaimer: of course, I do not own Twilight or any of the characters in it, including dear little Didyme. Also, many thanks are due to the awesome people who read and review this story. Unfortunately, this page would have to be gigantic to include all of the thanks due to them, so they'll have to settle for this. Again, I do not know when I will be able to write again with school resuming this week, but I will try to get another update up asap. Just bear with me, alright?**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

EPOV

The numbing presence swept through my mind, leaving a curtain of red in its wake. I was limp on the floor, unable to move as the presence took hold of me. It was like I was already dead.

Then I heard her scream.

It came from far away, at first, as if it were echoing over a great distance, then it became clearer as whoever was screaming came closer. I shuddered as the numbness left my mind abruptly, leaving searing agony and pain in its wake.

More people screamed and cried out in response to the first scream. I heard Aro shout something that was lost among the noise of swiftly approaching snarls. Someone snarled in response, making me aware that there was a presence crouched nearby.

Then, as suddenly as all of the noise had started, there was silence.

"Didyme."

BPOV

The black-haired vampire turned slowly, her red-rimmed black eyes sweeping over every other being in the room. Her eyes softened for a tiny moment when they reached Marcus, only to harden to ice once more as she faced Aro.

"Hello, brother," she hissed, her eyes flashing in fury.

Aro's granite face paled, an astonishing feat for a vampire his age.

"Sister," he whispered through barely moving lips. "But you-."

"Your guards are surprisingly horrid assassins, dear brother," Didyme sneered. "All I had to do was use my gift and the guard went away. It was quite amusing; I believe that that is where those human brothers got the idea for their tale of Snow White. Although, it seems the girl in the story had a better ending, don't you agree?"

"Really, my dear, I don't know what-," Aro began nervously.

"You don't know what I'm talking about?" Didyme hissed. "Well, then, I suppose you must add forgetfulness to your list of faults, brother, because I remember quite clearly, as do many others in this room. Am I right, Caius? Demetri? Chelsea?"

The three guards avoided her sharp gaze, their cheeks turning the slightest shade of pink as they blushed.

"Ah," Didyme jeered. "It seems that forgetfulness runs in the guard. No matter, I do not need witnesses."

"Do you intend to dethrone me, then?" Aro demanded, his tone sharp with something that wasn't quite fear. "Do you intend to defeat my entire guard single-handed?"

"No," she replied simply. Her eyes flickered once more to Marcus, who had been watching the exchange with a careful expression. "Marcus?"

Marcus nodded and walked slowly to her side, his jaw set.

Aro laughed, his voice trembling slightly.

"Oh ho, so there shall be two of you?" he said with false cheerfulness. "My, we shall have a matched fight, shall we not?"

"One more thing, dear brother, before we begin this match of yours," Didyme simpered. "If it would please you, I would like to speak to the guard."

Aro eyed her doubtfully, his eyes wary.

"If it would make you feel better, I could ask your young friend to cast her shield over everyone so that they will not be affected by my gift," his sister suggested.

Aro glanced at me sharply, his eyes narrowing as he searched my face.

"Are you sure she won't just lie to me?" he murmured.

I glanced at Marcus, wondering if I could get away with it. Marcus caught my expression and let his eyes flicker towards Edward.

"She will do as we ask," he told Aro flatly.

I stiffened, feeling slightly hurt. I had thought that Marcus was better than the others here… still, Edward came first.

I nodded resignedly in agreement to Marcus.

"I'll do it," I promised.

Aro glared at me, pure loathing in his eyes now that he didn't have to pretend to like me anymore.

"Very well," he hissed.

With great reluctance, I pushed my shield away from Edward so that it wrapped around the rest of the Volturi guard, although I was careful to keep the shield away from Aro, Marcus, and Didyme, who now stood in a small knot at one end of the room.

Some of the guards stiffened as my shield went over them, their expressions going blank for a moment as Chelsea's gift stopped working. I noticed with a vague feeling of shock that Caius and his wife, who had hurried to his side after Didyme's attack, were among those who stiffened and looked confused. I glanced once at Chelsea and caught her slightly guilty look. I caught myself wondering whether Aro had forced her to join him as well.

I nodded at Didyme when I was done to show her that the shield was over the others. She flashed me a tiny smile before she turned to the guard, who were all watching her attentively.

"Some of you already know who I am," she began, her gaze resting on Caius, his wife, Demetri, and Chelsea as they fidgeted guiltily. "However, for those of you who don't know me, I feel it is my duty to explain. I was once your dear leader's sister. He turned me a few years after he himself was turned to see if I had a gift that would be useful to him for his dreams of world domination. As it happened, I did have a gift but it was not as powerful as he had hoped. He kept me around out of brotherly love and allowed me to live as a member of his Volturi.

"His brotherly love lasted until I developed an attachment to one of his fellow leaders, Marcus. When Marcus and I planned to leave the Volturi in search of a more peaceful life, Aro decided that one of us had to go. Since my gift was the least useful, I was eliminated.

"I have told you this so that you may grasp the true personality of my brother. He cares for nothing, my fellow vampires, save himself. If he were to find that one of you were a weakness to his cause, what would keep him from destroying you as he destroyed me, his only living relative? Do you think he would hesitate for a moment to tear you away from those that you love in order to force you into submission? You have already seen what he has done to this young one," she continued, her eyes flickering to where I crouched protectively in front of Edward. "Do you think that he would not do the same to you if he had the chance? Caius, how long until he takes away your Athenodora to keep you from leaving his side? Chelsea, how long until he kills Afton to keep your gift under his control? Alec, how long until he takes away Jane to keep you here, and how long until he takes away Alec to keep Jane? And when those of you who are alone find that person who is meant to be with you for all eternity, what will keep Aro from killing them to keep you here?

"I came here today to stop my brother and his tyranny. I will fight him for my right to love, even if I have to fight alone. How many of you will stand by and watch me fail, knowing that my failure will condemn those you love to death? Who will fight with me?"

There was dead silence in the guard room for a few tense moments as the members of Aro's Volturi stared at his sister in silent contemplation. Caius and his wife, Athenodora, glanced at each other grimly, while a few feet away from them Chelsea reached out to take Afton's hand.

I felt my mouth fall open in shock as Jane and Alec were the first ones to step forward.

"We will join you," Alec said quietly. I noticed that Jane didn't seem as enthusiastic about the idea.

Didyme nodded and stepped aside so that they could join her and Marcus. After a few moments, Chelsea and Afton followed the twins, Victoria close behind them. Corin hesitated for a moment before he glanced back at the small vampire named Renata who crouched nearby Aro. She nodded once and walked up to join him, her eyes flickering fearfully back towards Aro. Caius and Athenodora walked towards Didyme last, their heads held high. Caius glanced once at his fellow leader before he went to stand beside Marcus.

Aro's jaw clenched tighter and tighter with every new addition to Didyme's followers. His eyes flickered back to where the last few members of his guard remained, their expression darkening when he saw their uneasiness.

"If you want to join this usurper, go now," he growled. "It seems I will be unable to protect you if you should stay."

Demetri and Felix exchanged a calculating look before shrugging and moving to stand next to Corin, Santiago and Heidi close behind them.

Didyme smirked.

"It seems that you are finally outnumbered, dear brother," she whispered. "What are you going to do now?"

Aro hesitated and glanced back at his wife, the only member of his guard who had not deserted him. She smiled at him faintly and walked up to take his hand, her shoulders set with determination.

Aro forced a smile in return, the expression in his eyes suddenly sad.

"I will except your punishment," he told his sister quietly. "I only ask that you be kind to Sulpicia."

Didyme looked at her brother for a long time, the icy hardness of her eyes softening infinitesimally.

"I won't hurt you, because that will hurt her," she murmured. "I am not like you. If my new friends will agree with me, I would simply like to send you away from here. You are no longer the leader of the Volturi, and you shall no longer have authority here. We will leave you to live the remainder of your eternity in peace."

Aro nodded, his shoulders sagging slightly as the weight of all of his years crashed down on him. It was the first time that I had seen a vampire look old.

With his hand still clasped in Sulpicia's, Aro moved towards the heavy wooden door that he had so recently forced me to walk through. He paused a few feet away from where I crouched in front of Edward, his eyes locking onto mine curiously.

"Do you stand with my sister as well?" he asked me silkily.

"Aro," Didyme called pleasantly. "I feel I must also inform you that Bella is under Marcus's protection, and therefore my protection as well. If you attempt to disturb her, or any that she is close to, there will be trouble."

Aro nodded his expression so sullen that it reminded me of Michael's for a moment. He turned away from me and walked out of the door with his wife, his head held high as he left his kingdom.

**Hey! Once again, I do not own Twilight or any of the characters mentioned here. All of the credit goes to Stephanie Meyer. Also, thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this story so far, because you are all amazing! Once again, I must apologize both for the delay and for future delays since school keeps me very busy. Thank you all for your patience, and I promise to have the next chapter up as soon as possible.**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

BPOV

It took me a few moments to remember that I was still in danger after Aro had left.

For most of my vampire life, Aro had been the target of all of my fear, hatred, and anger. Now he was gone, I didn't have to worry about him anymore. So, why was I still tense?

Then I looked around at the former Volturi guards and realized that I could still be in danger.

I set my teeth and crouched again in front of Edward, prepared to attack if I had to.

Didyme and Marcus watched me calmly, although I caught a glimpse of amusement in Didyme's eyes.

"Do you ever relax, young Bella?" she asked me casually.

"I'm afraid I haven't been able to relax for the better part of a century," I replied, my tone echoing hers. "Running from powerful vampires does that to you."

"Don't I know it," she muttered, more to herself than to me. "Well," she added in a slightly louder voice. "I'm pretty sure that asking you to stay would be an exercise in futility, yes?"

"Probably," I agreed, my eyes narrowing as I wondered where she was going with this.

"Alright, then. Do you have a preference in airlines?" was all she asked.

I stared at her for a moment, too stunned to speak.

"Are you sure you're Aro's sister?" I asked when I had recovered the ability to talk again.

Didyme chuckled, her laughter echoing like bells in the circular room. I saw Marcus smile in response to the laugh and decided that smiling was a good look for him.

"My brother is the black sheep of the family, thank goodness," she told me good-naturedly. "Now then, since you seem so eager to leave this marvelously depressing place, you may go as soon as you please. I shall have one of the receptionists order plane tickets for you and that charming young man that you insist on guarding."

I nodded in thanks, my muscles tensing again as she reminded me of Edward. How could I have forgotten him, even for a moment? I turned around, wondering if he was alright.

Edward's black eyes looked back at me, their expression slightly dazed. He straightened into a sitting position and opened his mouth to say something, and then quickly shut it as he noticed the other vampires in the room.

I smiled tentatively at him, my heart sinking slightly when his eyes widened. Was he angry with me?

"I think I'll get the tickets sooner rather than later," Didyme observed. "Would everyone please come with me? I think some re-organization is in order."

I ignored the looks of the former Volturi guard members as they passed by, not really in the mood to see what they thought of me and Edward. I heard Jane chuckle before she exited the room and saw Edward's eyes flash in the direction of her voice, a flash of anger lighting up the dull black of his gaze. I wondered vaguely if the anger at Jane was in my favor or not.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the last member of the guard walked through the doors. Caius and Athenodora paused briefly before walking past the heavy oaken slabs that passed for doors to look back at us. Caius opened his mouth to say something, then seemed to think better of it.

"Take care of yourselves," his wife told us quietly.

Caius smiled at her and nodded towards us. Then they were gone and I was alone with Edward.

I spoke first, mostly because the silence was getting very awkward for me.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

Something flickered across his expression at the sound of my voice and he nodded mutely.

"Your eyes aren't red," he said quietly, his velvety voice hoarse.

I frowned, wondering where this was going.

"No," I said slowly. "I don't drink human blood, remember?"

Edward waved my words away impatiently.

"The Volturi drink human blood," he pointed out.

"I'm not part of the Volturi," I retorted. Oh God, was he still affected by Chelsea's powers?

My last comment seemed to catch him off guard. He blinked in shock and stared at me for a moment, seeming to collect his thoughts.

"Then how-?" he started, only to have his voice break. He cleared his throat unnecessarily and tried again. "How are you alive?"

I hesitated for a brief moment before I launched into an explanation of what had happened, starting with my plan to run after what had happened to the wolves.

Edward listened without interrupting, his expression unreadable. I wondered if it was still possible for a vampire heart to be pounding in fear. It felt like mine was at the moment.

I paused after I had finished, waiting for Edward to say something. When he remained silent, I decided that I needed to say something.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice nearly breaking for the first time since I was human.

Edward glanced at me sharply, his expression surprised.

"Why are you apologizing?" he asked, confused.

I shrugged, slightly relieved that he was actually talking now.

"If I hadn't tried to run away again," I said slowly. "You wouldn't have been put in danger. It's my fault that all of this happened, my fault that you're angry with me…"

"Bella, who said that I was angry with you?" Edward demanded. "How could I be angry with you? I thought that you were dead until a few minutes ago. How could I be anything but overjoyed?"

I felt my face burn and looked away, feeling suddenly idiotic. Edward gently grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him, his eyes soft.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see your face again," he murmured. "Trust me, Bella; I couldn't be angry with you even if I tried."

I smiled at him and leaned forward. Edward met me half way, his lips meeting mine in a soft embrace that sent shivers through my nerves. I sighed with content and moved closer, my arms meeting his as we pulled each other closer.

Someone cleared their throat and giggled, making us break apart.

Didyme leaned casually against the doors, her red-rimmed black eyes nearly dancing with satisfaction.

"Oh, you two are such an adorable couple," she sighed.

I felt my face burn again, although I couldn't help but think that she had a point where Edward was concerned at least.

"Can we help you?" Edward asked politely, seeming slightly annoyed at being interrupted.

"Oh! Yes, I just came in to tell you that we have your plane tickets if you would like to leave now…" Her voice trailed off and she raised her eyebrows at us expectantly.

I felt the ghost of my blush increase slightly and pulled myself to my feet, my hands still clasped in Edward's.

"I think that that would be good," I agreed. "Thank you."

Didyme shrugged and smiled genially at me.

"It is no trouble, my dear. I'm sure I will never repay you for the help you gave to Marcus."

"I didn't do much," I objected hastily.

Didyme's smile widened slightly and she turned to leave.

"That's not what Marcus said," she whispered before walking out of the room. "Be sure not to dawdle too long in Volterra," she called over her shoulder. "I'm sure that your other friends are quite worried about you."

Edward groaned and buried his face into my hair.

"Oh no," he moaned.

"What?" I demanded, suddenly panicked. Had something else happened?

"My family is going to kill me when I get home," he mumbled.

I giggled.

"Don't worry," I teased. "I'll protect you."

Edward glanced down at me, a strange expression in his eyes.

"Many things have changed since 1918, haven't they Miss Swan?" he murmured.

"Not all of them, Mr. Mason," I whispered back before my lips met his.

**Disclaimer: of course, I do not own any of these characters *sigh* thanks soooooo much to all of the people who read and reviewed my story! You guys all rock! And once again, I'm sorry that I took so long to update. Just bear with me, please, the ending is coming soon…..**

**Thanks again!**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

BPOV

It didn't surprise me to see Alice and the rest of the Cullens waiting impatiently for us once we got off of our plane in Seattle. It did surprise me to see most of the wolf pack waiting a few feet away from them with Leah, Seth, and Jake in the lead.

Alice, unsurprisingly, was the first to notice our arrival. She somehow managed to reach us in a millisecond without the use of vampire speed and was already crushing us to death before the others even got close.

"I am going to kill you the next time you try that kind of stunt, Edward," she growled.

Edward chuckled and patted the top of her spiky hair good-naturedly, earning an extra scowl from his favorite sister.

"Bella!" Emmett yelled, his booming voice causing several bystanders to stare. He pulled me into his arms in a giant bear hug, his strong arms nearly suffocating me.

"Can't breathe," I managed to gasp.

"You don't need to," he pointed out, although he loosened his grip all the same. He glanced at Edward, who had been watching us with a wary look on his face. "Hey Eddie," Emmett purred.

Edward closed his eyes and sighed.

"Oh God, Emmett, what did you do to my room?" he asked wearily.

Emmett pouted.

"Nothing," he mumbled sullenly. "Although we should have painted it pink and thrown out all of your stuff for all the crap you put us through."

"I would have enjoyed that," Rosalie agreed silkily. She grinned at me and gave me a slightly lighter hug than her husband's.

Edward rolled his eyes in amusement and returned his attention to Carlisle and Esme, who had finally managed to pry Alice away from him and were in the middle of scolding Edward for such an idiotic plan.

"Hey, don't we get a hello-hug?" Jake called from his place with the wolves.

I laughed and turned away from my vampire family to face the Quileutes.

"Aren't you supposed to be in Hawaii, Jake?" I asked him, my voice slightly muffled as Seth pulled me into a giant hug that could rival Emmett's for its ability to suffocate.

Jake shrugged.

"Dad postponed the trip so that we could be here when you got back," he explained.

"Really?" I gasped, slightly surprised. I hadn't exactly gotten the impression that Billy Black was all that fond of me.

"Yeah, well, Sam thought that we should be here when you got back after all you did for us," he told me, a sly smile twisting his lips.

I felt my eyebrows rise and glanced at Sam. He shrugged, slightly embarrassed.

"We just wanted to make sure you got back in one piece," he said gruffly.

"Yeah, 'cause if you didn't, those Volturi would've been screwed," Quil piped up enthusiastically.

I rolled my eyes and grinned at the wolves, not really in the mood to explain that the Volturi should be that much of a problem anymore.

"Bella?"

I turned at the sound of Esme's voice. The vampire smiled kindly at me, her eyes slightly unsure.

"Bella, honey, are you ready to go home?" she asked cautiously.

I nodded, marveling at the word. Home. I had a home now.

"Yeah, I'm ready," I told her.

She beamed at me, her expression echoed by the rest of the Cullens. Edward walked up beside me and wound his arm around my waist.

"Well then," he murmured. "Let's go home."

The sun was setting over the small town of Forks, its blood-red light turning the buildings of the pathetically small town into scenes from a horror movie. At the moment, it truly looked like a town for vampires.

The newest arrival in Forks smiled up at the red sun, his hands resting lightly on the edges of the branch he was perched upon for unneeded balance. Yes, this would be a good place for him after everything was settled. And it would be settled, of course. Soon.

The new arrival's nostrils flared as a new scent reached him, his lips curving into a grim snarl. Such a horrible scent… it would take awhile to flush it out of this town completely.

Oh well, he did have a while.

The new arrival chuckled and looked up at the moon that was slowly triumphing over the dying sun. With another grim smile he threw back his head and howled, his skin already tingling with the first stages of the change.

The arrival turned his head and glanced back at the small dots of light that could be seen through the forest. They would be home now, reveling in their supposed triumph. The fools, they thought that they had won, that this was over.

It was never over.

**Okay, once more I do not own any of these characters. All of the credit belongs to Stephanie Meyer. And, since this is the last chapter, I must thank every single soul out there who has read, reviewed, or even looked up this story. You guys are great! And yes, there will be a sequel to this, although it might take a while since I am planning on working on a sequel to my pride and prejudice story first.**

**Anyways, thanks again to everyone, have a nice year, and I'm sorry for the wait.**

**-Luxio Nyx**


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